How to make a successful career change

For many working people, embarking on a career change is a tempting thought. According to a recent article from CBS News, a Gallup poll in 2017 found that 51% of American full-time workers were disengaged with their job. This startling statistic shows just why so many American workers are thinking of making a career change to improve their lives.

Of course, for many workers making that successful career change involves starting up your own company and becoming your own boss. You do not have to stick to starting up a new business in the sector you currently work in either! Many Americans make a completely fresh start when setting up their own business.

How to make a successful career change

If you are thinking of making the leap into a new career and want some tips on making it a success, here is some advice that will help you.

• Choose something you are passionate about – one of the main causes of workplace disengagement is that you may be doing a job in which you have no interest. To ensure your career change is a success, choose a new role that you know you will love and feel strongly about. That will give you the impetus to make your change a success and to keep going in the initial stages if it is hard to progress. Experiment a little before making the change too. It doesn’t hurt to explore yourself so you can find your dream job in the long run.
• Start to set-up your new business gradually – while it may be tempting to just resign one day and then begin building your new business, it is usually a bad idea. That is especially true if your start-up will be in a totally new sector. It is better to begin setting up your new business while still working at your current job. Not only will this give you vital time to see if the new business will work but also mean you still have money coming in to pay the bills!
• Network! – a lot of business still revolves around knowing the right people and having contacts in your industry. This will help you source new work and knowing the right people who may give you a heads-up about potential work opportunities is a great advantage. It will also help build your brand image and get you known. Even if you carry on working in the same industry as before, it is key to letting people know you are now running your own company.

What potential issues may lay ahead?

A big part of making any new entrepreneurial venture a success is thinking about any problems you may need to overcome. Here are a few of the most common:

• Lack of motivation – it is generally thought that most new start-ups will take at least 6-months to generate a profit. Of course, you may find yours takes longer than that. This can be hard for some business owners and might lead to them being depressed and de-motivated. To avoid such problems, keep working hard and believing in yourself.
• Finances – you need a good financial plan in place before you make your career change. Lack of money is a major reason many new businesses fail, even if they may have gone on to succeed in the long-term. Make sure you have enough in the bank to keep you going for those first 6-months at least and have a robust financial plan to help your business grow.
• Making a rash decision – for some people, their current role is so bad that they jump straight into another one without researching it properly. That can see you in the same situation as before as your new business may not be all you thought it was. Take the time to research all the tasks you may need to understand and undertake in your new role as a business owner.

It can be done!

As we have noted before, the great thing about changing careers is that it is entirely possible. There are countless people who have made the move in the past, often into totally new sectors. As shown on the Mark Green Twitter feed, Dr Mark Green was once a Special Forces operative in the US army but is now a successful politician. Others include actor Harrison Ford who was once a carpenter, and world-famous author Chris Ryan who used to be in the UK special forces.

The point is that, whatever you are doing now, with the right mix of passion, competence and hard work, you can succeed in whatever business sector you wish.

Don’t be afraid to make that switch

Fear is an emotion that affects all humans,. The fear of failure can hold you back from making the career change that you want, but it shouldn’t. As this article has shown, many people have done it in the past and there is no reason why you should not make the change in your life a success.