5 signs you should quit your job and start your own business

Ready to start your own business?

Have you always imagined being your own boss and owning your own company? Because you hate your current boss and/or job, you may be thinking that you’re ready to start your own business, but that may not be a great reason to become a business owner. Here are five signs you should actually quit your job and start your own business:

  1. The wheels in your head are constantly spinning. Those with owner/entrepreneurial born traits are full of ideas and have trouble turning their mind off. For those of you that possess this trait you may feel it to be both a blessing and a curse. Although the constant spinning of your wheels may get tiresome, if you are always creating and analyzing ideas in your head, it may be time to quit your job and act on some of those ideas as a business owner. A business owner could also mean a franchisee. As a franchisee you are still allowed the freedom to practice your business ideas, and make your business your own without needing to build a brand and business systems/standards from the ground up.
  2. Self-motivated. You do not need someone constantly on you, telling you want to do, when to do it and how fast to do it. You know what needs to be accomplished and you get it done without constant guidance or the need for management. You are a problem solver and are not only able to figure out how to solve problems on your own, but you actually enjoy doing so. Often those that are self-motivated make great leaders, and great business owners.
  3. Determination and passion are two of your strongest attributes. You are not a quitter. You work as hard as you possibly can to accomplish something, and if that’s not hard enough to get something done how you want it done, you work harder. Your eye is always on the prize and you see the big picture of where your hard work will bring you. Because you are passionate about the end game, your determination is even stronger. If you possess these attributes, you may feel that being an employee is holding you back and limiting your potential. If you feel this way, it may be time to quit your job and start your own business. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs
  4. You’re a family person, and want to build something for your child’s future. Working 9-5 for someone else may not be what you’ve dreamed of and may not allow you the time to vacation with your family, go to sporting events, and take time off as needed to spend with your family. Owning your own business, especially becoming a franchisee, can allow for you to create a life where you can spend time with your family, make your own schedule, and eventually becomes less present in your business. As a franchisee, you are starting with a proven system, rather than from the ground up and this will allow you to get to that end goal quicker. You can eventually replace yourself with systems and people capable of running your business without you. By being a business owner, you’re not only laying the path to being more family oriented, and allowing yourself more time to live and not just work, but you are also creating an investment that can remain in the family or eventually be sold.
  5. You’re financially able to, and personally willing to take a risk. When opening your own startup and/or purchasing a franchise, there is always risk involved. If you believe that this risk is worth taking to fulfill your dream of becoming a business owner, and you have the means to take it, then it may be time for you to quit your job and become a business owner. Having a bit of a financial nest to fall back on when making a large investment like this, always helps to make the transition and hard work a bit easier. But, being ready to take a risk isn’t strictly about finances. You need to be committed to, and passionate about the idea before you can fully be willing to take any risks. Often missed opportunities come from individuals being too scared to take risks. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky

Starting your own business is hard work, and there is always a bit of risk involved, but if it is something you’ve always dreamed of, and something that could line the path to a life of comfort, and freedom filled with more living and less working isn’t it worth it? If you are comfortable being an employee, and working regular hours, then staying at your current job and/or working for someone else may be your niche. If you have noticed all the above signs within yourself, and you feel limited and stuck being an employee at your current job, it may be time to quit your job and finally start your own business.

If you love systems, and you’re interested in starting your own business but not in reinventing the wheel, you may be the perfect candidate to purchase a franchise. Being a franchisee allows you to be your own boss, own your own business, and create a future for yourself and your family that includes vacations, sporting events, family time and a flexible schedule, without having to start from the ground up. By following a proven system, and business structure, with a name already known, you begin your process as a business owner further down the path to your ultimate dreams than you would when opening a startup. Choosing between starting your own business and becoming a business owner of a franchise depends on you as a person and what your end game is. Some are natural born independent entrepreneurs, and some are strictly business owners, and some are comfortable just being an employee. Which one are you?