This Is How to Decide Whether You’re Ready to Work for Yourself

Whether the motivation is inspiration or frustration, branching out on your own can be both exciting and totally terrifying. Here are a few simple steps to measure your readiness.

Fast Company
Fast Company

--

Photo: Jon Feingersh Photography Inc/DigitalVision/Getty Images

By Lydia Dishman

Many of us have thought about being our own bosses at some point, says Josh Grau, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications Program. “Maybe that idea stems from a killer business idea you’ve wanted to execute. Or perhaps you have a challenging manager who isn’t enabling you to do your best work.” Whether the motivation is inspiration or frustration, branching out on your own can be both exciting and totally terrifying.

So when do you know it’s time? Unfortunately, there’s no perfect answer to that question, but there are some things you can do to help make a more informed decision about whether or not to take the leap.

Grau says a great place to start is by making a list of what you really value about your work — such as culture, industry, role, and compensation — then ranking them in order of importance. “That can help you understand what are must-haves and nice-to-haves when it…

--

--

Fast Company
Fast Company

Official Medium account for the Fast Company business media brand; inspiring readers to think beyond traditional boundaries & create the future of business.