In January 2019 I decided that I would focus my business in a new direction by January 2020. I intended to fully shift from managerial work to accounting work. I had recently passed my CPA exam and had a clear vision on what I needed to do. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; I had been working toward this shift for years. But now I had a hard deadline.
You often read about business owners giving themselves a hard goal for large change, then executing and living happily ever after. I can’t say this is my happily ever after, but I’m getting close and hopefully sharing my story can provide some insight into how to do it.
Until the start of 2020 most of my business income was generated by one large client. While I had flexibility to do the work, it didn’t allow me to grow my income without significant investment. But the issue wasn’t the client or even the work: a few years prior I was expanding my business exactly in the direction I was now trying to avoid. It took me a few years to unwind my business and slowly shift toward accounting and consulting services.
February 2020 was the key month, and we all know what happened in March. Planning and saving is essential but the actual transition was the biggest step: it meant my income dropped to zero while I rapidly shifted and tried to gain new clients. I was very lucky to land a large client just a month after I made the shift, but despite knowing I had enough cash set aside for a full year, those early days had me filled with much doubt. To combat the doubt I picked up some books for guidance.
I’ve always enjoyed reading books on growing your business or career, or books that provide some guidance on what you can do with your life. When you have a blank slate to take your life in any direction, without the naivete of a high school or college student, it can be a challenge even to choose. I knew the struggles I would face. I knew the hard work it would take. But I was determined to make this shift now—waiting would just make it harder.
I wanted to share a few ideas that helped me shape not only my business but also my personal life. Being a small business owner can make you feel just as trapped as someone working a career job, sometimes even more so since you can’t just quit. Keep these four concepts in mind when you plan your life and your business.
Craftsman mindset
There are few things I find more satisfying than a job well done. Perfection in business is not always possible nor the most profitable, but I was determined to build a business where I had room for constant improvement and could take pride in the work I was doing. And while applying the craftsman mindset likely hampered my short-term business growth, it has given me a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction that eclipses the monetary impact.
Lifestyle design
The biggest driver for my personal change in 2020 was the concept of lifestyle design. Beside the career and business goals, I was striving for just as many personal and lifestyle goals as well. Chief among them was the ability to work fully remote, from anywhere, and not be tied to a specific time zone or work schedule. But lifestyle design can be a tricky process: you need to have a balance between what you think you like to do and what you actually like to do.
Don’t live your dreams
In 2018 and 2019 I took 10 months off from my business to travel the world. What I discovered surprised me: although traveling the globe is my passion, it’s not very fulfilling. Many people dream of traveling to distant and exotic places, but after spending two weeks on a beach with nothing to do I was feeling unproductive and unsatisfied. I realized, for me, that being productive and feeling fulfilled went hand in hand. Although I plan to be financially independent in a few decades, I don’t ever plan to retire.
Be intentional
I always aim to be intentional. It’s easy to fall into a routine, follow the crowd, or live by the status quo. The structure of routine feels like you are doing the “right thing” but it can be misleading. Routine is great, it lets you be more productive and efficient, but you have to be intentional about your routine. When I am intentional about my life I feel more in control, even when facing an unprecedented global pandemic.
There are so many lifestyle and business design books, and I found that small business owners need a mix of the two in order to thrive. I can’t claim my way will work for everyone, it’s not a concise or complete method anyhow, but hopefully it can provide some insight into what small business owners can do to enjoy a more fulfilling life.
This article originally appeared on Forbes