I am here to tell you that you can 100% start a new business, pursue additional education or do other things without quitting your day job. Most everyone has dreamed of starting their own business or going back to school. Often the mid-afternoon (or Monday morning) daydream starts with quitting your day job and pursuing a business or educational experience full-time. That daydream is always wonderful – everything works out perfectly, it looks effortless, you make a ton of money and no tears are shed.
There are certainly instances where people can pursue a new full-time experience without a regular, steady income coming in. For most of us that is not possible or maybe it is – but only by taking on massive amounts of debt to pursue it with no clarity on what the actual return on investment will be. In most instances, you won’t want to give up your full-time income to take a flyer on something new without testing your new idea in the marketplace and know what kind of money it will bring in. Most people don’t necessarily consider the extended loss of income while they are building a business from scratch or pursuing another degree. The trade-off of going full-time on either option not only means giving up your regular, steady income coming in but also committing to spending a fair amount of money at the same time to get the outcome you are looking for. Because many of us have consistent income coming in every week or every other week, we often forget that it does not automatically happen. The income seems routine until it stops.
Now let’s look at the positives. I’m not saying that you should not pursue starting a new business or heading back to college for an additional degree. You 100% can pursue them. But you should probably keep your full-time job or maybe not give up all of your income. You will definitely need some form of income for the unforeseen items that are guaranteed to surface during your new adventure at college or in starting a new company and providing this great product or service that everyone needs.
What people don’t realize is that most entrepreneurs don’t start off their venture full-time and even now, many college students (traditional, adult learners, or mid-career) go part-time and work nearly full-time simultaneously. Many of the great companies today started out as a part- time pursuit. Many authors started off by writing their articles, blog posts, and book drafts before going to work, at lunchtime or after they put their kids to bed at night. After years of time as a side project, things slowly shifted towards a full-time venture where they could leave their full-time job that had supported them during the early years while they were learning and refining their craft.
I recently read a great book that puts it ever so nicely. In his book, The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, author Chris Guillebeau writes about how you can get started on a simple venture with as little as $100, meaning you could start a simple business today.
At MFF we are a little biased that you should always factor in your finances when making a big decision. Before you start down the road on something, take a moment to reflect on your short- and long-term goals (both personal and financial). Starting a business and going back to school are only two of the many things that could monopolize your time, money and overall resources. As with most big things, you will be surprised how quickly things will grow and thrive if you take a thoughtful and methodical approach of taking one step at a time.
A Journey to Personal Financial Independence
At Morgan Franklin Fellowship (MFF), we support the concept of financial freedom – by teaching participants how to save by paying themselves first, invest for their future and grow their net worth.
Learning how money works and how to talk about money with others are the first steps towards recognizing an individual’s lifelong financial goals. Our online courses and on-demand learning events are designed to help individuals learn the concepts, rules and vocabulary of money, finance and investing.
Becoming an MFF Fellow
Our Standards of Financial Literacy program is engaging, full of interesting information, and easy to navigate. Adapted from the National Standards for Financial Literacy developed by the Council for Economic Education (CEE), this robust curriculum features six short lessons on such important topics as earning income, understanding the value of saving and using credit. When completed, this program lays the foundation for becoming an MFF Fellow.
Becoming an MFF Fellow is the ticket to access additional MFF programs and opportunities for mentoring, networking, internships and real-world opportunities. These are the opportunities which allow MFF Fellows to continue their journey towards personal financial independence.
Learn more at morganfranklinfoundation.org.
