Posted on: Monday, July 14, 2003
Keep job bridges intact when starting business
By Anita Bruzzes
Gannett News Service
OK, you're sick of being at the mercy of your employer. You're tired of worrying whether you're going to be laid off, fed up with justifying your every move to a manager, and just plain ticked off with the constant office politics.
It's time to strike out on your own. You can't wait to march into the boss's office, hand in your letter of resignation and empty out your desk. In your exit interview, you plan to tell the human-resources manager just what you think of the organization, and how untrained monkeys could do a better job.
But hold up just a sec. If you go burning bridges behind you, your life as a self-employed person may be over before it has even begun. Whether you like it or not, your first — and perhaps best — customer as a business owner may just be your former employer.
Maybe the thought just galls you, but it may become more palatable when you don't have a paycheck coming in. It's surprising what we can learn to deal with when we're self-employed. Did you say untrained monkeys? You meant trained monkeys, of course!
When you get ready to launch your own ship, there are a few hard truths of the self-employed world that you need to accept. Among them:
• You will learn to schmooze as never before. You will approach people you never liked much, such as your former employer. You will be nice to them, perhaps take them out to lunch, all in the name of garnering some new business for yourself. Whatever your former relationship was, the new one calls for you to approach every relationship as a way to get business for your fledgling company.
• You will attend those lame-o industry meetings and even attend the cocktail party afterward. You will mingle. You will hand out business cards to everyone you meet, you will make new contacts and you will appear interested when you hear the same story for the third time from the same person.
• You will ask for help. Maybe the whole appeal of having your own business is doing things your way, but anyone who has started a new enterprise knows, any input is welcome. Getting expert input can keep you from making costly mistakes. So hire a presentation specialist if you need to, work with a voice coach, and even get a personal shopper to help you spiff up your appearance.
• Ask for criticism. You may have resented performance appraisals with your former employer, but you're going to need all the feedback you can get to get your business off to a successful start.
