What No One Told Me About Leaving My 9-5 Corporate Job

SIX YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

I was four months into my eighth year working at Target headquarters. I loved the people I worked with, and I was pretty damn good at my job. I had a good income, was an expert at what I was doing, had solid benefits, and had a great schedule. Looking back, my work-life balance and time to travel the world were something I took for granted and now appreciate greatly.

I was what many people would consider to be lucky, but I was also unhappy.

 When someone like me doesn’t feel like they’re in control of their destiny and are being held back from greater achievements, the comfort of bi-weekly paychecks and benefits only goes so far. I had the entrepreneurial bug, and I had it bad!

 I no longer wanted to ask permission to implement an idea or how to spend my day. I didn’t want someone else to define what my paycheck looked like or what success and growth would be for me.

So, six years ago this month, I jetted off to Peru to use up what was left of my vacation time. When I got home, I decided to take a leap and believe in myself. I said goodbye to my 9-5 and launched myself into a completely new industry with no consistency or promises—one with zero benefits and a rollercoaster of seasonality and market shifts.

What I gained, though, were limitless opportunities!

I COULD WORK AS HARD AS I WANTED

And I only had to answer to myself. It was a sense of freedom to finally call the shots in my life and accomplish whatever I believed I could. No one was holding me back or telling me I had to wait.

Now, this doesn’t come without a cost. When you become a small business owner, you are responsible for keeping the lights on, keeping everyone fed, adjusting to the economy + shifting market, and striving for the best user experience possible.

You become a leader, accountant, mentor, marketing specialist, coach, financial guru, and so much more…trying to wear all the hats. And this can cost your time—the most important asset you have, in my opinion.

Over the last couple of years as a realtor and business owner, I wanted my freedom of time back. I didn’t want to worry about when my next deal was or whether the market was going to be strong that year. I wanted to be present with my family and friends. I wanted the freedom to travel again without feeling I needed to be available 24/7 to answer client or team questions.

So, that has led me to where I am today!

WHAT I LOVE MOST

What I love most about leading a team and helping my real estate clients is educating them on all of the knowledge I’ve picked up over the years. You see, I am a sponge when it comes to ANYTHING that could be applicable to my life. Whether it is how to determine if there is a safety hazard in a home, to making smart financial investment decisions, to taxation and retirement strategies, or anything in-between. If I know I will personally benefit from learning and understanding something, I will dive deep into the research, and then am eager to share my learnings with everyone around me.

That is why I’ve begun creating new resources for clients, investors, small business owners, and my team. I’m building out tools, playbooks and cheat sheets to share ALL of my tips and tricks that have helped me succeed in business and life.

The best part is that these resources ultimately lead me back to my freedom. I’m sharing with you how I’m building out a life of passive income, saving on my taxes, and making smarter investments. It’s not always about working more to make more. No… oftentimes, we just need to be more creative with what we already have to make it work smarter for us.

BUT HERE’S THE TRUTH…

I don’t shout about financial abundance from the rooftop because I’m so focused on the dollars in my bank account.

I am passionate about financial abundance because I want to be able to treat my friends to dinner.
I want to be able to fly my family out on vacation.
I want to be able to contribute financially to to save fur babies by supporting an animal sanctuary.
I want to provide clean water to communities in countries that really need it.
I want to be able to provide money to female entrepreneurs in Africa who are creating their own opportunities to support their own communities.
I don’t want to live on a budget.
I want time to experience life and travel and see the world.

It’s so much more than about the money in the bank account. It’s about experiences, time, and being surrounded by loved ones. THAT is what this is all about. And I’m so incredibly passionate about helping others do the same

If you are in a similar place in life where you want to get off the hamster wheel and start building a life by design that allows you to be present and take back your time, be sure to check out the resources I’ve shared thus far and stay tuned for more! I’m on a mission to give you EVERYTHING I know literally, and I won’t stop until I do so.

Cheering you on!

Jen

TOOLS + PLAYBOOKS

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