Entrepreneur You - transition to self-employment without going broke
Will empower you to:
Now more than ever we need people creating businesses and economic opportunity for themselves and others.
Self-employment can provide the flexibility to balance your need to earn an income with raising a family or pursuing other interests and passions.
Building a viable business of your own could be the most exhilarating and rewarding experience of your life.
And we're here to help you reach success.
“Great training course, I ended up with a practical business plan, a marketing plan, and just had to take actions. I also learned some concepts that were new to me as a first-time self entrepreneur.
Thank you for putting this together to get the first step to a business start-up done.”
Isabelle Lenglois
I've been self-employed since 2006. I'd had a 16 year career in banking and reached a point where I wanted to do things my way. My final 7 years in banking were as an in-house financial planner, and whilst I was grateful for the things I'd learned, there were conflicts and compromises that I was ready to leave behind.
I started as a one-man-band with zero clients and zero income. My focus was therefore on organic growth. Several of my old banking clients tracked me down and came aboard, most of whom are still clients (and friends) today. That was a huge help in my first year.
In late 2007 an opportunity arose to buy a business from a financial planning practice owner who was retiring. It was a small investment-focused business, consisting of the owner and one staff member. The deal took some time to complete, with settlement ultimately occurring in mid-2008.
Cue the GFC.
Saddled with by far the biggest debt I'd ever had, and a business environment that saw many similar businesses close their doors, I worked hard, made some tough decisions, and ground away - I didn't have a lot of choices, I was fully committed, I had to make it work. There was plenty of stress and worry and I certainly don't think I would have gotten to where we are today without the support of my amazing wife and some key friends.
Today my team and I manage over $90million for a wonderful group of clients who are at various stages of achieving Financial Autonomy - gaining choice in life.
Growth has enabled me to build a great team so that I can focus on the things I enjoy and love. In recent years I 've been able to put time into the Financial Autonomy project - an idea born out of my experience helping people as a financial planner. I've created over 150 podcast episodes, written a book, been invited into the ABC studios as an occasional guest on the Life Matters program, contributed to the Money section of The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and created online courses to help more people achieve Financial Autonomy.
Being self-employed is wonderful. It's a constant challenge. You drive the agenda and reap the rewards. But the transition to self-employment is not an easy one - strategy, execution, marketing, pricing, financial management, mindset - they all need to be right.
Self-employment is not the pathway for everyone. I know how to successfully transition to self-employment. I've done it myself, and I've helped others do the same.
Will you be the next person I help?
Entrepreneur You - transition to self-employment without going broke
Introduction
Module 1 - Why - Nail down clear goals to build your personal strategy
Module 2 - Pathways - Learn about the 5 pathways to self-employment and choose the one that's a fit for you.
Module 3 - Side Hustles - Could you use a Side Hustle approach to experiment and learn?
Module 4 - Business Plan + Coaching call 1 - Time to start developing your personalised strategy to self-employment
Module 5 - Marketing - Develop your plan to get your idea in front of the right people
Module 6 - Buying a business - Learn how to evaluate an existing business
Module 7 - Financial Management - Plenty of great businesses fail due to poor financial management. The longest module in the course, we cover everything you will need to succeed.
Module 8 - Mindset + Coaching call 2 - Improve your chances of success by planning ahead of time for the inevitable ups and downs of self-employed life.
Coaching call 3 - 3 months after coaching call 2. You will have rolled out your strategy - what has worked, what hasn't, what next?
Here's some of the most common questions that we get from prospective participants:
Q: How much time will it take me to finish the program?
A: This is a self-directed course so you decide how long you will take. We suggest you aim to complete the course over a 4-6 week period. This provides a good amount of time for you to develop your self-employment plan, whilst also maintaining momentum.
Q: How do the coaching calls work?
A: This course includes 3 half-hour coaching calls conducted via web conference at the conclusions of module 4, module 8, and then 3 months after the second call. The purpose of these calls is to ensure you are on track, resolve any obstacles that are preventing you from making progress, and providing support and encouragement.
Q: How is the course delivered?
There are 8 modules and an introduction. Each module has a key video presentation. Longer videos have been broken up so that videos typically only run to around 15 minutes each (there are over 3 hours of video tutorials in total). You have a companion Workbook that you will download at the beginning of the course and work through as you complete the course. This will form your transition to self-employment strategy.
Each module has a Quick Quiz to cement key learnings. And there are various examples, case studies, and interviews to help deepen your understanding.
As mentioned in the previous question, your progress through the course is supported by the 3 coaching calls at key milestones along your journey.
Q: What if my business idea doesn't work
Not all business ideas succeed, indeed many do not. Through the Entrepreneur You course we help you develop your self-employment strategy to maximise your likelihood of success through business planning, marketing, side hustle experiments, understanding of key financial controller functions, getting your pricing right, and plenty more. And our coaching calls provide a sounding board so you're not developing your plan in a vacuum.
Of course, we cannot guarantee your success. But we can guarantee that your chances of success are vastly greater by following the playbook provided in this program.
Q: When do the coaching calls happen? I need to fit around my job commitments
Coaching calls are available Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm. We will provide you with a booking link so that you can schedule in a time to suit you. We have some flexibility to provide coaching calls outside standard hours where required.
Q: At the and of this program is the expectation that I will immediately quit my job and become self-employed? What if I want to take a more gradual approach?
This program is all about reducing your risk as you make the move to self-employment. We encourage gradual moves where that's viable. The plan you develop will be customised to your needs. Also, module 3 specifically explores Side Hustle strategies as a way to experiment with your business idea whilst still in your current role.
GENERAL ADVICE WARNING
The coaching calls (and email support if relevant) provided in this course are for general business coaching and ARE NOT financial planning advice.
The information in this course is general in nature and does not take into account your specific circumstances. You should carefully consider the appropriateness of any content within this course to your particular circumstances and consider any financial risks carefully.