She Means Profit

Overcoming Fear and Starting Your Own Business

• Melissa Houston • Season 2 • Episode 166

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Are you dreaming of leaving your 9-to-5 and stepping into the world of entrepreneurship? 

In this episode, I dive deep into my own journey of transitioning from a secure job to becoming a full-time business owner. If you’ve ever felt the desire for more freedom, fulfillment, or financial independence, this episode is for you. 

I start by addressing one of the biggest challenges in any major life change—fear. I know firsthand how natural it is to feel uncertain, whether it’s fear of failure, success, or simply the unknown. But here’s what I’ve learned: fear is a signal that you’re on the brink of growth. It’s about embracing that fear and using it as a driving force to push toward your goals. Every successful entrepreneur has faced these emotions. The key is to take that first step, even when it feels overwhelming.

From there, I share practical strategies. One of the best ways to transition from employee to entrepreneur is by starting a side hustle—exactly how I did it. This approach allowed me to build a customer base and refine my offerings while still maintaining the safety net of a full-time job. In this episode, I offer advice on finding your passion, managing your time, and testing your business idea. Based on my own experience, you’ll likely need to refine your offer as you go, but the rewards—freedom, fulfillment, and financial independence—make the journey worthwhile.

If you’re ready to take the leap from office to entrepreneur, this episode is full of actionable tips to get you started. I also introduce my digital course, From Office to Entrepreneur, designed to guide you through this transition step-by-step. You’ll learn how to build your business gradually, manage the risks, and maintain consistency for real growth. Entrepreneurship isn’t just about making a living—it’s about creating a life. 

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Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies

Melissa Houston: Welcome to episode 166. So today we're diving into an, uh, topic that might resonate with you as it resonates with so many of us making the leap from a secure job to becoming your own boss. So this episode is all about facing the fear of something new, starting your business as a side hustle and gradually growing it until you're ready to make that move.

Transition into entrepreneurship. If you're sitting at your desk right now, dreaming of more freedom, more money, and more fulfillment, this episode is for you. But before we get started, as always, we'll give you a little bit of an update. So I am still basking in the glow of fall and absolutely enjoying this beautiful October weather.

In the spirit of new beginnings and making my health a priority, I started going to the gym. And wow, what a transition this has been. Thankfully, I have my health coach, Christy, who's guiding me a hundred percent of the way. Have you ever been in that position where, you know, you need to improve your health, but you're lost and need guidance?

Um, believe me, I was. And Christy is helping me. She is totally doing this. With me, not for me, but with me. I've started slowly into weights and cardio and every Saturday I am doing a mobility class to work on my flexibility. In the last year or two when I was feeling unwell, I really Didn't have a whole lot of energy to do anything and what's really hurting me right now is my lack of flexibility But I did see a quote somewhere on social media That said something to the effect that if you don't invest in your health now, you will invest in your illness later.

And that really hit me. I think it will give me the motivation to keep going and make this a lifelong habit. Because I know, like, it depends on the season, right? Especially in winter. Winter is so hard to get out and exercise and walk and stuff. But anyways, this leads us into the second step of the profit method framework that is new for us at She Means Profit.

So the second step is reinvention. So that's the, so it's the profit method. So the P we did perspective, that was mindset, and today's R, so it's reinvention. And that is exactly what Gen X women are doing as we start and grow our businesses. So reinvention is about making the transformation from office to entrepreneur.

Okay. So let's jump in. Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room. And that is absolutely fear. It's natural to feel apprehensive when considering a major life change. The fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, and even the fear of success. That's all really scary and that can hold us back. But here's the truth.

Fear is part of the process. It's not something you can avoid. It's something to embrace. And why? Because fear signals that you're about to step out of your comfort zone. And believe me, that's where the growth happens. So think about the first day that you had at your job. Remember how you felt? I mean, you probably felt nervous, felt uncertain, but you pushed through it and now it's just another part of your routine, right?

So starting a business is no different. It is definitely new, it's uncertain, it feels very risky, and it's going to challenge you in ways that you never imagined. But it's also going to reward you in ways that you never dreamed possible. So the key is to reframe that fear as a sign that you're on the right track.

Because like I said, growth happens outside of your comfort zone. So instead of letting fear paralyze you, let it propel you. Remember that every successful entrepreneur started exactly where you are at, where you're feeling unsure, scared, but you have to be willing to take that first step. Okay, so now that we've acknowledged the fear, let's talk strategy.

One of the best ways to transition from employee to entrepreneur is by starting your business as a side hustle. I highly recommend this actually. This is how I started. And, you know, being an accountant and, you know, being very mindful of finances, it's really hard to just leave your job and start a business, not knowing how long it'll take for your business to take off or if your business will even take off.

So it's smarter to hold on to, you know, that. Incoming money unless of course you're in a position where you can leave your your employer and not have to worry about Finances, but if you take that transition from side hustle to full time entrepreneur It allows you to dip your toes into the entrepreneurial waters Giving without giving up the safety Excuse me without giving up.

Oh my god. I can't speak without giving up the safety of your Oh, sorry, K. Let me start again. Without giving up the safety net of your day job, starting a side hustle is a smart way to test your business idea. It helps you build a customer base and you're going to refine your offerings, right? Because when you're, when you're starting out in your business, It's very much a, you have an idea of what you wanna put out in the world.

You know what you wanna offer, but you have to also meet your potential clients where they're at. So your idea of what you wanna offer and where they're at might have a gap in between, and you may have to refine your offer, refine your messaging, do a lot of refinements to get. Those potential clients into your ecosystem, right?

So there's a lot of testing in the beginning and you need to be prepared for, basically be prepared for that because you don't want to give yourself unrealistic expectations. and say, okay, I put my sign up, I'm open for business. And now everybody is going to come because I've put this fantastic offer out there.

It doesn't work like that. It's your clients that decide when they're ready to work with you and it's your job to nurture them into that.

So you're creating a runway and when you're ready to take your business full time, you have that groundwork late. So it's, It's less risky to make that transition from side hustle. Excuse me. It's less risky to make that transition from side hustle to full time income. But here are a few tips to get started.

Okay. So first is you want to identify your passion. So think about something that you're really passionate about that could be turned into a business. It might be a skill that you already have or a problem you're excited to solve. So, Your skills where you're like what you do in your in the office doesn't necessarily have to be what you decide to do, um, in your business.

So for example, for me, um, I did accounting work and I love to talk about and, and teach women and help educate about business financial literacy and why it's so important to know your numbers and stuff, because I have worked with hundreds of small business owners and I have done this Transcribed For over 20 years.

And I love it. But what I don't love is actually doing the accounting work, doing the bookkeeping, doing the fractional CFO work. Um, even if I hire people to do that, I I'm too much of a control freak to rely on their work. Um, I know this is like bad advice because that's not the best way to scale your business, but I just couldn't do it that way.

So I turned my skills into education and that is how I help others is through education. And I love it. That to me is a good fit. So I feel passionate about that and I feel good about that. It makes me feel excited to come and talk to everybody. Um, About education. Sorry, scratch that. It makes me excited to come talk to you about your finances and starting a business and anything business related because I love it.

So think about what you're passionate about and how you can turn that into, um, An offer where you can make money. So tip number two is start small. So as we're talking about starting a side hustle is starting small. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once. Okay. When you start your business, there's going to be a ton of shiny objects.

People are going to tell you, Oh, you need to, you know, start a podcast, channel, get on social media. There's All sorts of stuff that you should or could be doing, but you don't have to do it all right away because that is your fastest way to burn out. You don't want to burn yourself out. So, start with one.

thing at a time and focus on delivering it exceptionally well, and then move on to the next one. That is the best advice I can give you. I didn't follow this advice myself. In hindsight, I wish I had, but, um, that is really, truly the best way to get started. You have to get those messages from the people that you're trying to reach.

And in those messages are, you know, basically ways That you can talk to them in a better way so that you get their attention. So there's just little tweaks that you have to do for each social media platform or, you know, whatever offer that you're taking on. So be mindful of your audience because they are always going to tell you what they need.

So the third tip I can give you is time management. So balancing work and a side hustle requires discipline. There is absolutely no doubt about that. I remember in the early days, I would get up at 5 in the morning. I would work from 5 to 7. And then I would work during my lunch. And then I would work on my business.

after work. So you have to, to really be disciplined and balance the job with the side hustle, uh, set aside dedicated time each week, each day or each week to work on your business and stick to that.

And the fourth tip I'm going to give you is validate your idea. This is huge. Before going all in, make sure that there's a market for what you're offering. So I've seen this, I've seen A few times, not often, but a few times where people have offers out there and no matter what they do, they just can't seem to get the audience to come in and purchase from them.

And really, it's because, you know, as great as the offer is, people just don't want it. So you want to make sure that you are offering something That people will pay for just because they're in your, your, um, community, your free communities and stuff doesn't mean that it's a viable business idea. You want to make sure that you are converting, um, these leads into paying customers before you abandon ship.

Um, your, your full time job and give up your income for something that just hasn't been validated yet. So talk to potential customers gather feedback and adjust what you need to do in order to Get them to buy because they will be willing to share that information with you. You just have to ask so remember The goal is to grow your side hustle to a point where it can replace your full time income.

This won't happen overnight, but with consistent effort and smart planning, you will get there. And that is really the top tip, is consistency. You need to be consistent getting your message out there so people get used to seeing you. They can rely on the fact that they will see you and that builds trust.

Now, let's say you faced your fear, you started your side hustle, and now you're growing your business. So this is the exciting part. It's becoming a full fledged entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is an adventure. It's challenging. It's unpredictable. And yes, sometimes it is downright hard. I can remember Many days where there were a lot of tears shed because things just were not going well, especially in the early days.

They happen, you know, on occasion now, but it's nothing like it was in the beginning where I just felt very frustrated and discouraged and was like, am I really helping people? Am I really reaching them? Because that ultimately was my My goal was I really want to make an impact and help increase the wealth, get more wealth into the hands of women.

So imagine waking up each day, knowing you're building something of your own, something that has the potential to change your life and the lives of others. Imagine the freedom to make decisions, your own decisions, the satisfaction of seeing your ideas come to life and the thrill of financial independence.

It's so exciting and it's just so worth it and just saying these words excites me. But the excitement doesn't just come from the big wins. It's in the everyday little victories. It's in landing your first client, making your first sale, even just figuring out how to solve a problem that you've been stumped by.

These moments are fuel that will keep you going. Even when the road gets tough and believe me there, I don't want to discourage you, but there are a lot of bumps in the road, but here's the secret. The excitement of entrepreneurship isn't just about the destination. It's about the journey. It's about learning, growing and constantly pushing the boundaries of what you thought was possible.

It's about getting outside your comfort zone, and those boundaries of your comfort zone are just going to keep expanding. It's about creating a life that's not just about making a living, but, but it's about making a life. I remember I interviewed Amy Porterfield on this podcast, and she had said, Um, what was it?

I can't remember the exact quote, but she's like, even the worst day of entrepreneurship beat hands down the best day she ever had working in corporate. So there was like zero regrets of her leaving the corporate life and moving on to doing her own thing. And that will be you too. Okay. So as we wrap up today's episode, I want you to remember this.

The path from office to entrepreneur is a journey. One that requires courage, persistence, and a whole lot of passion. So yes, there will be challenges. And yes, you will have a lot of fear, especially in the beginning. But with fear, when you overcome that fear, there will be incredible rewards. Both personally and professionally.

So if you're feeling the pull towards entrepreneurship, don't ignore it. Do not ignore it. I have, I had wanted to be an entrepreneur in my entire career. I tried twice, failed twice, third time was a charm. So it's that pull, start small, embrace the fear and take the first step. You will be amazed at where it can lead you, but you have to have the courage to get started.

Okay, I have created a digital course. It's called From Office to Entrepreneur and it's designed to help you make the transition. I am so excited about it as I have received so much positive feedback on how it's been helping Gen X women start their side hustles with the plan of transitioning to full time income.

Your success feels so good to watch. Okay, and I have left the link in the show notes for you to explore this course further and to see if From Office to Entrepreneur is the right fit for you. And as always, if you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who you know could use a little encouragement on their entrepreneurial journey.