A marketing coach shares tips for taking a leap faith for small business owners who are transitioning from part time to full time work. Corrina Gordon-Barnes is the founder of You Inspire Me – a business that makes marketing simple for people who are self-employed.

This is my second interview with Corrina, here on New Beginnings. Our first was How She Became a Small Business Marketing Consultant – the link is at the end of this article. Read it if you’re thinking about doing any type of business coaching or consulting; she described the career path that led her to create and run her marketing business, You Inspire Me.

Here’s one of my favorite tips for small business owners, from Corrina:

“I believe you should be making LOTS of money, so you’re free to pursue your passion full time,” says Corrina, “rather than feeling held back by other work commitments or financial worries.”

Hear, hear! I believe I should be making lots of money from my New Beginnings and Quips and Tips blogs, so I can keep inspiring and encouraging readers. I used to feel guilty for wanting to make money, but I’m learning that money is what keeps me blogging. It’s an upward spiral.

In this article, Corrina shares the mistakes and frustrations of taking a leap of faith into full time work, and offers tips for small business owners of all types.

7 Tips for Small Business Owners Taking a Leap of Faith

1. Don’t spread yourself too thin. I wasted a lot of time in the early days by spreading myself thin and trying to be everything to everyone. On my shelf, I had folders and folders full of paperwork relating to a workshop I’d spent days creating and then run just once and forgotten about. I put so much into each client and each talk, but I wasn’t creating repeatable, signature systems.

2. Get clear on your business niche – or what I call your Tribe – as soon as you can. Focus all your efforts on helping them. These days, I’m so clear on my business niche, I’m repeating myself every day – and that’s perfect. That means I’ve found my core message, I’ve found my core system, and I can develop and hone it to reach more people, more effectively. One of the most important tips for small business owners taking a leap of faith is to find and stay in your niche.

3. Hire support for your business in the right order. My frustrations have often been technical. I’ve spent whole days trying to fix a glitch in a web form, or to get text to right-align. That’s why the first person I hired was for tech support. I think people often make the mistake of thinking they need a secretary first. Yes, handling your diary and admin takes time but for me, it wasn’t as soul-sucking as the tech pit. So, my tip for small business owners is to hire support in the right order – and for me, it starts with tech support.

4. Decide your “leap of faith” point for your small business. What profit do you need to be bringing in through your small business before you can focus fully on self-employment? Get realistic with an actual number (go on, write it down right now) and that’ll put the end in sight. Get specific about when and how you will transition from part to full time work as a small business owner.

5. Lean into the support around you and find ways of feeling unconditionally safe. Even if you’re pretty sure you can make the leap as a small business owner, it’s natural to still find it scary. (I did!) I like to look to gravity for this: it’s always there, giving you a sense of rock-solid physical security. If you have faith in God, or some higher power, lean in there. A tip for small business owners is to remind yourself that your mortal security does not depend on how rapidly your business takes off.

6. Remember that when you run a business, you’re a leader. Don’t make the mistake of thinking people are buying your products and services. They’re not. They’re buying your message, your story, a journey; they’re buying being part of a movement and being part of a tribe – and you’re the leader of that movement and the leader of that tribe. What do you stand for? Where are you taking people? Think way bigger than what you offer and ask yourself: why are you offering this?

7. Be persistent. You only do things step by step, one iteration after the other. Think about the iPhone – it wasn’t “done” when it launched. That was its first draft. It’s the same with every webpage you write, every service you offer. Don’t wait to get it perfect. Launch your small business before you’re quite ready. If you’re taking a leap of faith, delight in the knowledge that this, right now, is the worst it’ll ever be. It’ll only get better.

If you have any thoughts or questions on these tips for small business owners taking a leap of faith, please comment below. If you need more faith-based tips, read How to Have Faith in a New Beginning.

Corrina Gordon-Barnes, Founder of You Inspire Me

To learn more about Corrina’s career path, read How She Became a Small Business Marketing Consultant.

Corrina Gordon-Barnes wants to live in a world where marketing is fun, clients turn up easily, and money flows to those who help and heal. When she’s not writing blogs, teaching courses, and offering tips for small business owners taking a leap of faith, she’s reading chick-lit, making vegan blueberry cheesecake, and trying to catch her niece and nephew on the monkey bars.

What comes to mind when you think about tips for small business owners and “taking a leap of faith” with regard to your business? Comments welcome below!