It’s 11 p.m. on a Monday and I’m still working … in my PJs … that I slept in last night. Welcome to the exciting life of an entrepreneur.
Back in 2006, I worked in my cushy government job in the public relations department for a county library system. I say “cushy,” because supposedly it was a secure, safe job – ask some county employees about that one right about now – but it was really more, um, “yucky.” Imagine working in a moldy basement while learning every day that all of the bad things you’d heard about the government were true. Yep, “yucky” about sums it up. Finally, one day, as I was told to move someone’s paperwork to the bottom of the pile for not filling out a form correctly (yes, really!), all I kept thinking was “Is this all there is?” And, I set out to prove that it wasn’t.
A few months after that a-ha moment, as Oprah would say, I left my government job behind and started KIS Corp., my own writing, proofreading and editing company. I felt totally prepared. With a solid group of clients right away (that I had from freelancing on the side while I was employed), a nice emergency fund in the bank (really, a must-have) and a cheerful, positive attitude, I was all set!
Right! Well, I learned some lessons very quickly about clients who don’t want to pay for services rendered; people who assume I will do work for them for free because “you did it for me before” (yes, when I had a steady, paying job); subcontractors who never met a deadline they didn’t blow; and on and on. But, I also discovered clients willing to go out of their way to help me because I’m a small, woman-owned business; created an awesome support network of female entrepreneurs, biz-e-chicks; and found friends and family who happily promote what I do because they’re proud of me.
I can honestly say I’ve seen the best and worst of people since I started KIS Corp. And, luckily, the good so far outweighs the bad that it makes this job of owning a business better than any position I’ve held before. It’s rarely glitz and glamour, but I get to work in my comfy pajamas if I feel like it … all day … every day.
How I started …
It’s 11 p.m. on a Monday and I’m still working … in my PJs … that I slept in last night. Welcome to the exciting life of an entrepreneur.
Back in 2006, I worked in my cushy government job in the public relations department for a county library system. I say “cushy,” because supposedly it was a secure, safe job – ask some county employees about that one right about now – but it was really more, um, “yucky.” Imagine working in a moldy basement while learning every day that all of the bad things you’d heard about the government were true. Yep, “yucky” about sums it up. Finally, one day, as I was told to move someone’s paperwork to the bottom of the pile for not filling out a form correctly (yes, really!), all I kept thinking was “Is this all there is?” And, I set out to prove that it wasn’t.
A few months after that a-ha moment, as Oprah would say, I left my government job behind and started KIS Corp., my own writing, proofreading and editing company. I felt totally prepared. With a solid group of clients right away (that I had from freelancing on the side while I was employed), a nice emergency fund in the bank (really, a must-have) and a cheerful, positive attitude, I was all set!
Right! Well, I learned some lessons very quickly about clients who don’t want to pay for services rendered; people who assume I will do work for them for free because “you did it for me before” (yes, when I had a steady, paying job); subcontractors who never met a deadline they didn’t blow; and on and on. But, I also discovered clients willing to go out of their way to help me because I’m a small, woman-owned business; created an awesome support network of female entrepreneurs, biz-e-chicks; and found friends and family who happily promote what I do because they’re proud of me.
I can honestly say I’ve seen the best and worst of people since I started KIS Corp. And, luckily, the good so far outweighs the bad that it makes this job of owning a business better than any position I’ve held before. It’s rarely glitz and glamour, but I get to work in my comfy pajamas if I feel like it … all day … every day.