I worked in the corporate world for many years, and I can tell you that transitioning from a 9-to-5 job to working for myself is one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made.
Why is it difficult to leave the 9-5 job
First, for me, it wasn’t a 9-to-5 job; it was more like a 5 am to 6 pm job. I would wake up between 5 and 5:30 am, prepare myself, leave the house about 6:20 am, and commute for one hour.
My job was actually from 8 to 5, then one hour back home, so that was 5 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday.
Here were the three reasons why it was difficult for me to leave the job, even when I was not happy with my life.
The sense of false security
From my job, I had insurance, a social security fund, and many of the benefits that you get from having a job, so I would tell myself, at least I have all these things, so it made sense in my head.
That paycheck was the drug that kept me a slave for many years
Then suddenly the company started letting go of a lot of people who were smarter and better than me, and then I realized that if I do not do something, one day I will be in trouble. That is why I started my side hustle.
Laziness
After a job, I would reach home and watch TV for an hour, eat, sleep, and do the same the next day. On weekends, I would tell myself that I deserved a rest.
Fear
Fear played a big role in my decision to continue with my job. I was afraid of the unknown: what if I do not make it, what if people do not like my skin color, what if people do not like how I speak or write, and so on.
How to move from a 9-5 job
Then one day, I was tired, and I decided to create a plan to leave my 5 to 6 job. Here we are, and I am going to share the steps if you want to achieve the same.
Do not quit yet
I see many gurus and influencers telling people they should quit their jobs immediately; this is a terrible idea, especially if you have a family that depends on you.
You cannot quit the job if you are not making any money yet; you cannot feed our family using likes you get on X.
What I recommend doing is starting a side hustle while you still have a job, you give yourself a chance to make mistakes and learn while you have some income, when your business grows and now you can make some money, then you can quit your job.
After your 9-to-5 work, your 6-10
I know some jobs can drain your soul; you reach home, and you have zero energy. Jobs were designed this way to keep you trapped.
The only way to escape this trap is to sacrifice yourself for a few months; you can decide that for the next 6 months you are going to work from 6 pm to 10 pm on your side hustle, and you can use weekends working while others are resting, drinking, or partying.
While there are no guarantees in life, I promise you that if you work like this for 6 to 12 months, your life will never be the same again.
Belief in yourself
Another mistake I made was that I never believed that I could do this. Guess what? I could not do this, but when it came time that I had no choice but to start creating content, I started getting results, and my life changed.
Keep your ideas to yourself
I was born in a family where no one is an entrepreneur; 99% of my family members are extremely poor.
Telling them that I wanted to make money online was a big mistake; most of them tried to talk me out of this. According to them, that was a big risk, and I had a great job; I should keep it.
People will try to talk you out of leaving your 9-to-5. some of them will do this out of pure love; they don’t want to see you suffer, some of them will do it out of fear that you will not be able to help them, and some of them will do it out of fear that you might make it and have a better life than them, the solution? Keep your ideas to yourself.
Pick a skill or industry
Most people do not make money online or anywhere because they lack skills; people will not just pay you because they like you.
You need to learn a skill and create content around that skill, and when people see what you can do, they will want to pay you to help them. This is how we make money online.
Analyse and adapt
When you start something, you will be bad at it. You can create a video, and not a single soul will view it; you post on X and have two impressions and zero likes.
You need to analyze what you are doing and what other people in your industry are doing and adapt; this is how we grow.
Learn constantly
I love a quote from Tai Lopez. Read 50 books. Build one offer. Say no to 100 things. That’s how you get rich.
You need to learn not only from books; you can buy courses, watch YouTube videos, and participate in events in your industry. The key here is to learn constantly and apply the information.
Find a mentor
I know paying for someone to teach you can be expensive, but anyone I know who has succeeded in life has a mentor.
You can find someone who is doing what you want to do and follow them. You can start by reading about them, watching their content, and subscribing to their newsletter, and if they have a course, you can buy one.
When you get some cash, you can even ask them to be your mentor; this is how you learn and grow.
Try harder every day
Making money online and leaving your 9-5 is not easy.
During your journey, things will get tough. But the good news is that there is no competition out there; the only person you need to win against is the person you see in the mirror. You need to work harder and do more than you did yesterday; this is how you win.
Help out every day
Many people are just starting; even though you are still new, you might know more than they do.
Make sure that you help these people every day, answer their questions, and give them a hand every time you can.
I remember, I was in a Facebook group and this guy asked a simple question, but no one was answering it, so I decided to help them and answered their question.
Later, they reached out and asked me if I had an affiliate link for a product that they wanted to buy. I said yes and made $100 in commission that day.
Not everyone you help will make you $100 in a day, but helping others is one of the easiest ways to get your first customer.
Key Takeaways: How to move from a 9-5 job
Moving away from the 9-5 job can be challenging; here are the things that I did when I moved from mine, and what I recommend you do.
- Do not quit yet
- After your 9-to-5 work, your 6-10
- Belief in yourself
- Keep your ideas to yourself
- Pick a skill or industry
- Analyse and adapt
- Learn constantly
- Find a mentor
- Try harder every day
- Help out every day