Many employees are inspired by the idea of no longer being answerable to a boss. The dream of becoming one’s own boss is definitely attractive but self-employment is not free of challenges and disappointment so it is important to be adequately prepared for the road ahead.

Plan For The Best But Be Prepared For The Worst

A plan on paper never goes as expected. Think of a plan for a journey. Much as you plan for everything to the minutest detail, there are many different variables that you cannot factor into your plan such as accidents along the way, traffic snarl-ups, mistakes by other road users and so much more. As you build a business, it is not all dependent on you and your plans. There are many factors that are beyond you such as political climate, currency fluctuations, the entrance of competitors into the market, changes in legislation and so much more.

The key to surviving as an entreprenuer is having a contingency plan that things could go wrong, and they often do. Cash flow is the most important aspect of this contingency plan. Start a business with adequate preparation that it could fail to earn any income the first one or two years. Have a concrete plan how you will finance the business and also continue to meet your obligations during that period.

Learn From The Farmer

Imagine if you were to go into self-employment as a farmer. You had just purchased a piece of land and were all set to go into farming. How long would it take you to start earning income as a farmer? How much would you put in before you could begin to earn? What if there were some unexpected challenges such as drought, floods or crop failure?

The most assured way for your business to survive is to have a reliable source of income as you build your business. If you are in employment, you want to remain in employment for as long as is possible, but at the very least for the first one year of your business. Plan your transition very well.

Time

Do not use your employer’s time to build your business. That is dishonesty and should be avoided at all costs. Give your employer 100% of your time and attention while you are still working there. Build your business in your free time and using your own resources.

Resources

Building a business costs. You will, therefore, have the extra responsibility of financing your business while still meeting all your other responsibilities. This will be challenging if you are already stretched financially.

Begin by tracking your expenses for at least three months. The use of a personal finance software can make this easy. Identify areas in your budget where you could free some money. You could make sacrifices such as using public transport to work instead of driving, carrying lunch from home instead of spending money in restaurants or doing your hair at home at least some of the times rather than spending money in hair salons. There are sacrifices to be made if you plan to become your own boss.

Avoid quitting your job before you have some reserve, either from your savings or revenue from your business. One of the major causes of business failure in the initial stages is related to cash flow problems so guard against this.

Medical Insurance

One benefit that you will lose when you leave formal employment is medical insurance. Not having insurance can completely crush you should a serious illness or an accident strike so ensure to have an insurance cover before you leave your job.

Leave As Friends

You will still need the networks from your employer as well as the goodwill even after you leave so do not burn bridges. Your first jobs might actually be referrals from your former place of work so take care of those relationships.

Give your employer adequate notice, find out how you can be helpful during the transition period such as in training replacement staff. Minimize hardships for your employer and former colleagues and genuinely wish them well. Be ready to share tips and to be supportive to those who reach out to you.

As an Entrepreneur, You Are Your Most Important Asset so Invest in Yourself

Invest in yourself. Read personal development material. Attend relevant forums and events and expand your networks. Identify skills you will need as you build your own business and invest in acquiring them. Hang out in the right circles, with fellow entrepreneurs and upcoming self-bossers.

Practice being disciplined. Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like or not. Being self-motivated is the key to successful self-bossing.

Work on your mindset. You will need to replace the employee mindset with the entrepreneur mindset. Practice thinking in terms of exploring possible solutions to challenges rather than seeking the opinion of someone else who is more knowledgeable than you. Identifying the right people to consult about different matters is part of the entrepreneur mindset.

Look at life’s challenges with an attitude of ‘what could be done to make it better? Where can such information be found? Who can be helpful in sorting out this situation?’ Your ability to solve problems will make or break your business.

Develop a curious mind. Always be curious to know what is happening in the industry and in the business environment as a whole. Evaluate what others are doing and be proactive in conducting further research on the topic. Learning is a lifelong process so never stop learning.

There Are No Guarantees That it is Going to Be Easy

Most people give up their dreams of building their own businesses when they find the journey more difficult than they anticipated. Keep in mind that the price has to be paid sooner or later, and that sooner is better than later. Putting off self-employment until you retire is definitely going to hurt you more so better start early so that you can leave employment on your own terms rather than wait to get desperate when you are forced out without a plan B.

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This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter, network marketing professional, life coach, personal development mentor, freelancer and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc#
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My journey from Nairobi to Mombasa began at the old Nairobi Railway Station. I took a shuttle to the SGR Terminus in Syokimau. The services were very professional and not much time was wasted in the city traffic, probably because it was 7 o’clock in the morning, a time when most traffic is headed towards the city. It took around 45 minutes to the Syokimau Terminus. Not bad at all.

The SGR Terminus

The Nairobi SGR terminus is definitely impressive! It is very modern, just like an international airport. The Mombasa Terminus is equally modern. The staff are courteous and professional, the place clean and spacious. Mpesa services are not yet incorporated into the payment systems so make sure to have the cash to purchase your ticket.

There is no choosing of seats so be prepared to settle wherever you find yourself. If you are travelling in a group, you might find yourselves allocated different seats. There was a hitch with the restrooms at the terminus that morning. There was no water in the waiting area toilets, which was a big inconvenience.

The management of the crowds still needs some working on. Having a thousand people preparing to board the train at the same time is definitely quite challenging.The train left the Nairobi terminus at exactly 9.00 a.m. I used economy class and it was ok. Soothing music was playing in the background.

Snacks

Snacks are sold on board. This is an area that could do with improvement. The service is not well organized and it is like hawking. Varieties are ok though they could still be improved further though the prices are a bit on the higher side. If nothing is done to streamline this service, passengers will be carrying their own snacks from home and that is bound to get messy.

Wildlife

The best treat of the journey is the chance to see wild animals along the way. I enjoyed seeing wildebeest, ostrich, zebras and gazelles at the Nairobi National Park. Tsavo National Park boasts a high population of elephants and travellers do get to see tens or sometimes hundreds of elephants, among other animals. The elephants definitely made my trip enjoyable.

Do You Get to Save Time By Choosing SGR?

The 472-kilometre journey between Nairobi and Mombasa terminus takes slightly less than 5 hours. The journey is really smooth, right from the take-off. If you usually experience anxiety while an aircraft is taking off, you will love SGR. It will be difficult to notice that the train has actually left the station. It is also difficult to believe that the train is cruising at 120 km/h, because it is really smooth and quiet.

Can you leave Nairobi in the morning and execute your businesses in Mombasa the same day? Arrival time either way falls in the afternoon, a time when traffic to the city is busy.

The road from the Mombasa SGR Terminus at Miritini to the city is not yet done. This is one part of the journey you will not enjoy at all. A bus trip takes anything from one to two hours, putting into consideration the time taken at the station before actually leaving. That puts arrival time in the city at around 4.00 p.m. In other words, it still takes an entire day to commute from home to either Nairobi or Mombasa city.

Commuting from Syokimau Terminus to the Nairobi City Centre on the return journey was easy. The old train was in operation and took around 45 minutes to the Nairobi Railway Station. No issues with traffic on Mombasa Road.

It is wise to devote an entire day to travelling so that you do not get disappointed. Just relax and enjoy the train ride but don’t be under pressure to beat deadlines such as getting to some offices before 5.00 p.m. Allocate such tasks to the day after your travel.

Tips to Make Your SGR Ride Smooth and Enjoyable

1. Be at the station for the journey to the terminus early. Whether at the Nairobi Railway Station or its equivalent on the Mombasa side, be there latest 7.00 a.m. If you are travelling from the Mombasa side, be there earlier, considering that the road to the Miritini Terminus is still being done, leading to delays.

2.Travel light. Avoid carrying too many bags or large suitcases. The storage on board the train is similar to that on the inside of a bus so be reasonable with your baggage.

3. Carry a little snack of your choice such as nuts and juice. It can take a while to buy something to bite on board the train and there is no stopping on the way to purchase anything.

4. Allocate 2 hours to connecting from the station of arrival to the city center and that way you will not get stressed should you find yourself stuck in traffic either on Mombasa Road in Nairobi or at Makupa Causeway.

5. Carry cash for purchasing the ticket, for snacks on board the train and for connecting to and from the terminus both ways. Mpesa will not serve you for those purposes.

6. Carry a good camera so that you can capture wildlife and beautiful sceneries along the way.

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter, network marketing professional, life coach, personal development mentor, freelancer and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanCatherineK