Transitioning from corporate life to entrepreneur freedom

My vision for my life as a young child was to graduate from college, find a great company to work for and retire after 20 years. I also thought about owning my own business at some point in life. Even though I had no role model or blueprint on how to accomplish these goals, I just took one step at a time and kept going.

After going to college, graduate school, and finding a great job in my chosen field of Human Resources (HR), I got extremely comfortable. I was making good money, working hard to climb the ladder, and establishing my HR career. I forgot about my desire to own my own business until the coronavirus pandemic hit. The world turned upside down, companies were laying off – including mine. When the company announced a layoff, I honestly wasn’t concerned because I had a great work ethic and had established myself as a loyal employee. So, I wasn’t surprised when my name wasn’t listed on the layoff list but most of my team was included. It was devastating! I will never forget the whole process and feeling the guilt of not being laid off. That’s another story for another day. Well, the guilt soon disappeared when I realized how much work I was expected to pick up with only one person left on my team. It was a gradual build up until it became unbearable. In my 23+ year history at this company, I had never been as stressed as that 1.5-year period. It was taking a toll on me. Then the idea hit me! Perhaps it’s time to start my own business.

I was becoming burned out on HR/Recruiting, so I started thinking of other ideas for a business. I thought back to the time I had become a Notary when I first started this job in the late 90s/early 2000s. I was doing general notary work for the company, for free, for about 6 years. (I still question myself on why I never turned that into a side hustle outside of work.) After months of contemplating leaving my company to go back to becoming a Notary full-time, I decided to renew my notary commission. Thank God I was saving money so I could fall back on that while I build my clientele. I had so many signs that confirmed it was my time to step out and start a business. I continued to think it through and frankly agonize over the decision for several months.

Thinking back to my vision as a young child, I realized I accomplished what I said I would – graduate from college, find a great company to work for and retire after 20 years. While I am not at the retirement stage yet, I had reached my 23rd year at the company. I made the decision to take the plunge in November 2021 and haven’t looked back. I have found so much freedom and a renewed love for HR. I decided to start an HR Consultant business to provide HR support to individuals, small companies, non-profits, etc. that do not have an HR team.

Although the economy has not fully recovered from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and there is a looming recession, I have been able to establish a great business foundation and learn new skills. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. There are days when I question myself, have imposter syndrome, and wonder if I will achieve my goals but I do not regret my decision to strike out on my own. I have met some incredible people, joined my local chamber of commerce, and gained a whole new respect for the Notary industry. Being a Notary and an HR Consultant has aligned well for me and I look forward to continuing to serve my community and sharing my HR expertise. Here’s to life after corporate!

This is a selfie from the first day I started working as an entrepreneur!