4 Things To Keep In Mind Before You Say "I Quit"
It's been almost five years now since I cold turkey walked off my news reporter job to blog full-time. Since then, I've experienced so many highs and lows of being an entrepreneur and #girlboss. From overlooking some important business details, to learning (the hard way) to deal with shady clients, losing some of my work benefits and not thinking about financial planning for my later years; I literally had a crash course in becoming a businesswoman.
With entrepreneurship being all the rage these days, so many people only flaunt the glitz and glamour of being in business but forget to share those little nuggets of how to actually make it work. In entrepreneurship, there's a lot of personal and professional business (no pun intended) to handle that can easily be forgotten or missed.
Quitting your job to build your own empire or to bring a passion to life is indeed a risky move to make, but it's also a move that can be both beneficial and fulfilling. Just like everything else in life, you have to weigh out the pros, cons and, "Girl, you sure you wanna do this?" scenarios. Don't be one of those people who quit their job to work for themselves…but forget to build a business!
Keep these four things in mind if you're on the road to entrepreneurship.
Make the business official.
GiphyIt took me fifty-leven days for one company to run me my check and another flat out refused to book me because I didn't have a business license. Sure, I could do the work and in my head it was easy for them to just write a check out in my name. All companies are different and not everyone can just write the check; they all follow procedures and processes unique to them and sis, you don't want to get caught up in all of that. I found that it made being an entrepreneur much easier when I could supply a client with proper, legal documentation on behalf of my company. Not only does it help you to get paid easier it also proves that you take your business and coins seriously.
Benefits? What benefits?
As soon as you say, "I quit!", one of the first things that disappear are your employee benefits. As a woman, it was super important for me to have some kind of health insurance, but the minute I walked out that door, I was on my own. Some companies are great in that they allow past employees to stay in their group plans but make the payments themselves; others just drop you. I've been making the sacrifice for five years now to pay my health and life insurance out of pocket; because of the way life is set up these days, I can't chance it. If this is important to you, make sure to keep this in mind as you journey to entrepreneurship. Will you need new insurance, can you join a group one…do you even care? And then there's the pension plan. How will you save money for retirement? Will you set up your own plan? This is definitely worth the conversation and discussion.
Where’d the money go?
GiphyI'm cheap. And I'm not afraid to admit it. As a freelance writer and TV host and occasional influencer who partners with brands, I know firsthand how fickle this industry can be. I've had partnerships taken away, given the 30-day notice and left to literally count my coins. Learning how to effectively budget and manage money is a great skill to have as an entrepreneur, in any field. All businesses, even the well-off, established ones, experience ebbs and flows in their companies and yours won't be exempt. Buffer those crazy days by saving, budgeting and investing.
It’s not an easy road.
Being my own boss is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever experienced. It's a thrilling journey of highs and lows that stretch you and strengthen you; it's simultaneously fickle and fulfilling, it has its bumpy days and days where everything is going right. More importantly, it's not for everybody. If you've decided though that you can and will do this, you have to commit to the cause and fight through the tough times.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
Passion Over Paycheck: Why I Quit My Job At 30 To Start Living
How To Cope When You Hate Your Job
These 3 Women Boldly Quit Their Jobs & Changed Careers
I Quit My Job 3 Years Ago And Built A Badass Brand With These 5 Tips
Featured image by Shutterstock
- Ask Yourself These 4 Questions Before You Quit Something ›
- A Graceful Exit - Before You Say 'I Quit' - What's Next ›
- Ten Things Never To Say As You Quit Your Job ›
- How to Quit Your Job Professionally and Gracefully - The Muse ›
- Guide to a Graceful Exit: What to do before you say 'I Quit' ›
- How to Leave a Job You Hate ›
- How To Quit Your Job Without Burning Any Bridges ›
- How to Resign From Your Job and Leave On Good Terms ›
- Quitting Your Job? 3 Ways to Tell Your Boss Gracefully | Robert Half ›
Ianthia is a freelance Bahamian writer, journalist, TV host and producer and travel and lifestyle blogger with works and features in Essence, Forbes Travel Guide and Sheen Magazine. A TV anchor turned full-time blogger, Ianthia quickly became one of The Bahamas' top influencers; even being awarded the honor at the 2017 Bahamas 40 Under 40 awards. Ianthia's MiniSkirts and Microphones website (www.ianthia-smith.com) is a travel and lifestyle blog for busy millennial women looking for advice and inspiration on how to transition from 9 to 5 to fulltime girl boss while being a woman in the age of social media.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images