Entrepreneurs: Don’t Quit Your Day Jobs

After some time, Richard (not his real name) finally felt that luck smiled back at him thanks to a spate of remarkable accomplishments accorded his way. On top of a flourishing managerial career in one of the country’s top business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, he, along with his friends, was able to set up his dream of running a small food kiosk franchise that looked promising since acquiring it two years ago. Sometimes, admittedly, he thinks about quitting his job and taking the huge jump to being a full-time entrepreneur. Even a little taste of success will have that effect.

For readers exhibiting a dual personality – being both an employee and entrepreneur (or you can be one of both) – have you ever stumbled upon this dilemma? We’ve got insights courtesy of The One School executive director and entrepreneur Lex Ledesma, who believes that one must not quit his/her job until one’s business goes boom:

It is possible to maintain a business without sacrificing a stable, and well-paying day job. The choice between being an employee and an entrepreneur is a ‘financial matter’ that depends on actual results. If the business is already profitable and can sustain your lifestyle, then that is the only time to quit.

In other words, Ledesma advocates not making a decision based on a whim but based on whether or not your business is performing well financially. It’s called covering your bases. As suggested by Ledesma, consider that businesses are most definitely not exempted in experiencing growing pains, with the road to success littered with a higher rate of failed endeavors. The real effort in making a business work requires more than the token time, effort, and resources.

Are you presently handling a business on the side? If yes, do you adhere to Ledesma’s advice? If any plans of going full speed ahead as a full time entrepreneur may have to be put on hold, there is no need to hang your head. Heck, if it were easy achieving a profitable business, how much fun would be in that? Just keep chipping away and let the chips fall where they may. Nothing meaningful was ever accomplished without hard work, patience, and dedication.

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