Stepping away from a steady paying corporate job to enter the unknown world of Entrepreneurship took guts. Although I am fortunate to have the financial support of my spouse, the undertaking is still quite risky. My biggest fear soon after leaving was having unstructured time and maintaining my productivity in taking steps toward my end goal. The journey so far has taught me many valuable lessons, some of which I’ll share (in no particular order).

1 — Corporate skills are transferrable. The same way I would organize my days with To-Dos on my Outlook calendar at work, I continue to do. One of my first purchases for the home office as an entrepreneur was a daily planner. I use the planner to write down things I want to accomplish every day and check tasks off when completed. This was especially useful in the beginning when I had to create structure for myself. It helped me stay focused, prioritize and build the discipline to move my vision forward.

2 — It pays to invest in professional support in areas outside of your expertise. While I had a clear vision for Shades of You, there were many things about the spa business I had yet to learn. I decided early on to bring on a business consultant with extensive years of experience working with both resort and day spas. Similarly, I needed financial, tax and legal support to determine the right corporate structure, secure funding and properly set up the legal entity. In essence, I built an informal advisory board – one that helped turn vision into a well-informed, strategic foundation.

3 — Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs and business owners. Entrepreneurship can feel isolating because there’s no set roadmap, and no guaranteed outcomes. When you place yourself in a community of like-minded individuals, you get exposed to different perspectives, strategies and lived experiences. You gain insight from others’ success stories as well as setbacks, and you also gain a level of accountability. It pushes you to stay committed, to think bigger, and to move with purpose. Whether it’s through networking events, mentorship, or simply building genuine relationships, it’s important to find your community.