CHAPTER 17

Plan Your Escape and Get Out
of There

Are you ready to get out of Dodge? Are you ready to escape the rat race of the 9-to-5 and take control of the reigns that guide your life? If so, congratulations! If you plan to jump in and become a full-time Patchworker, you will see results much more quickly than if you start on a part-time basis. However, this chapter looks at both the full-time and part-time options and related considerations. Most importantly, I will share important considerations for you to reflect on as you prepare to exit the 9-to-5 world once and for all.

Part-Time Patchworking

If you are currently employed and hesitate to leave your current job in order to pursue the lifestyle and the career of your dreams, you’re not alone. After all, the security of a 9-to-5 job, where the boss reels in the work and you get paid no matter how the company does, is pretty enticing from a distance. However, adding freelance work to your already-overwhelming workload can be a recipe for disaster, so you should approach this scenario with caution.

First, consider that you may need to bring your personal laptop or other equipment to work with you in order to do some of your freelance work after hours or during break periods in order to meet pressing deadlines. As a preemptive move, depending on your circumstances, you may want to broach the subject with your boss to avoid a potentially sticky situation. For example, your current employer may react badly to the idea of having you work on the premises if you get caught doing so and haven’t sought prior permission. I don’t recommend that you work covertly, but if you do, make sure you have a foolproof plan for keeping the work a secret. Translation: Don’t get caught! I’ve seen people in this situation get fired on the spot; don’t be one of them.

Second, when running a business, you will need to interact with your clients during normal business hours when they, too, are at work. This can cause any number of sticky situations. For example, imagine if you are on the phone talking to a client and your boss walks in and decides to wait until the call ends in order to speak with you. What will you do? On the one hand, you may want to keep this endeavor a secret from your boss. On the other hand, you don’t want to rush the client off of the phone, which may leave a bad impression. Each workplace environment is unique, so be sure to think through your situation before diving in. Here are some important tips:

• Take on work cautiously. Be sure the work is a good fit with your available resources, such as time or equipment.
• Be up front with your clients. Let your clients know that you are currently working full time and may not always be readily available during normal business hours.
• Separate your phone and e-mail communications from your current workplace systems. Electronic communications routed through your workplace network are subject to monitoring by the network administrator. You may want to invest in a smartphone, such as an iPhone, to manage all of your communications during work hours exclusively and independent of your employer’s network.

Finally, be forewarned that this full-time plus part-time work arrangement may cause you to feel like you are working day and night. This is because it will, in fact, likely require attention both at night and on the weekends in order to manage the business end of things (invoicing, for example) and the project itself during the hours you are not attending to your full-time job. Consider this fair warning. This lifestyle can quickly lead to burnout and ultimately cause you to call it quits, robbing you of the chance to experience truly living the career lifestyle of your dreams.

Although these are a few of the noteworthy entanglements among many, there are certainly advantages to trying out a part-time approach at first. One advantage is getting the opportunity to test out the idea and see whether you are cut out for handling the various aspects of owning and operating a business. Another advantage is that you get to find clients and work directly with them. Then, when you decide to make the leap to a full-time Patchwork career, you already have a few clients to refer back to for references or additional projects.

Leaving the Door Open

When you know that your 9-to-5 days with the company are numbered, it is easy to find yourself feeling a bit cocky. You have a nothing-to-lose attitude that can transform your previously mild-mannered personality into one of a loudmouth know-it-all. We all know the type. After countless years of carefully crafted business interactions, people often go renegade in their last few days on the job and tarnish their image forevermore. Don’t make this mistake! It could undermine your new business startup before it even begins. You worked hard to build your reputation into what it is today, so handle it with care right up to the moment when you exit the building on the last day of work and drive off toward your dreams.

As the old saying goes, “People hire people.” In other words, every contact that you have at this moment is valuable to you from a business standpoint, even if you can’t see the potential just yet. Walk away from your 9-to-5 job on good terms with the boss, co-workers, and clients, and you can reap the networking and referral benefits. Walk away on bad terms and it can haunt you by driving down the number of available opportunities within your geographic location, your industry, and your networking circle.

Leave your current job like a true professional. Give the appropriate notice, help train the replacement, make personal contact with each co-worker to let them know how much you enjoyed working with them, and so on. Do whatever is necessary to leave your boss and your co-workers with these positive memories firmly embedded in their minds.

Leaving a Trail

Have you heard of “breadcrumb navigation”? Derived from the Germanic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, this Internet term refers to tools that help users keep track of their location within a program like a Web browser. It gives users a sense of where they have been and where they are currently, which aids them in calculating their next move. An everyday example of this is the Forward and Back buttons in a Web browser. Where am I going with this? Like breadcrumbs, give your current list of clients and business contacts this same option of navigating to you at your new location and in your new Patchworker capacity. Although you may want to shake the dust from your heels and fall off the map when you leave your 9-to-5 job, it can be to your great advantage to leave a trail instead.

Let your clients and other important business contacts know what your plans are and how to get in touch with you should they want to work with you in the future in another capacity. Sometimes this is best accomplished through a series of telephone calls and casual conversations prior to your departure. Sometimes this communication is simply a mass mailing by e-mail or post. Only you can decide what is appropriate for your own business community.

If possible, on the last day at your 9-to-5 job, set up an auto-reply for your e-mail account that indicates you are no longer working with the company but can be reached by phone or e-mail should someone wish to get in touch with you. Then, proceed to list your new contact information, including the name of your new business and job title when possible. Sometimes work comes from the most unlikely sources!

So, did you think it through? Do you feel like you have what it takes on some level and are willing to accept the challenges and drawbacks that come along with this career lifestyle? If you still have some doubts, that means you are perfectly normal and, in fact, are truly considering the practical realities of this paradigm shift. Leaping out of the traditional 9-to-5 framework and into something different takes courage. So muster up some courage and let’s talk about taking the first concrete steps toward establishing your business. Get ready to set up shop!