This article is about 7 things I didn’t realize I’d lose when I quit my job of 7 years for entrepreneurship.

Let’s back up a little, shall we?

My Start At My Job

I graduated college and started working for a mid size organization.

It was the biggest office I had ever worked in. It was the company headquarters and it was huge.

The first 3-6 months were full of excitement as I was learning to do my job, making friends, getting acquainted with the office, etc. Truth be told before I even accepted the position, I knew if they hired me, I’d only be there for a year max.

Why?

It was not my dream job or dream location.

I wanted to move to a city about 90 minutes away, closer to my family and in my dream city.

I was tired of where I was living (I lived there 5 years at that point) and I was ready to go.

Fast forward 7 years later, I was still at that job and I was miserable.

• Being micromanaged
• Asking permission to go to the bathroom
• Very structured work environment

Not the ideal setup for a millennial, haha.

I decided I was gonna quit.

I was married but the hubby was not working. He is a military veteran and going to school then. While he did have income that equaled to a full time income (from GI Bill and disability), I really did not want to rely on his income and I knew there was gonna be some argument (and ultimately I would lose) if I asked him to pay my bills, like my student loans, my credit cards, etc.

I had to make my own money.

I decided to start a business and a year into it, I had fully replaced my 9 to 5 income, so I quit!

I Finally Quit My Job!

I just left my job of seven years for entrepreneurship..ekk! This job was not the right fit for me but it was a great experience and taught me that the corporate environment is NOT for me.

I was super fortunate to find this job straight out of college. It literally took me 2 weeks to land this job while others around me have taken a lot longer. The benefits were amazing, I didn’t have to pay a cent when I had my first child, my husband had to have surgery that was covered fully by health insurance, I had a great retirement and other benefits.

I knew working here that I was not following my dreams.

I thought long and hard before making the leap because I very well could have balanced work and the business somehow but I’m glad I made the jump.

This new career is just what I needed and I truly love it.

In hindsight, though, I feel that I got the most out of this company. Did I mention I was able to get a Master’s Degree, fully paid for by the company?

But, I didn’t consider everything I would be losing when I left my job.

1.Gym Membership

I didn’t us the company gym (they had 10 gyms on campus) and while it wasn’t a free membership, it was super cheap, something like $30 a month for a full gym, with locker rooms and the whole 9 yards.

They were fully supportive of a healthy lifestyle so the gym had all the bells and whistles.

Looking back, I wish I had taken advantage of the gym. The handful of times I went to my own gym before work, I got compliments on my glowy and refreshing look.

2. PTO

PTO or paid time off is something that you lose when you start your own business.

That means you DON’T get paid for your time off.

If I’m not working, I’m not getting paid, bottom line.

This is something you totally forget about when you are deciding to leave your job for entrepreneurship. Including sick leave, I had about 4 weeks of paid leave per year and I used quite a bit of it every year. I was very big into vacations and taking my time off, for life balance so if time off was available, I was taking it!

3. My Coworkers

Never thought I would miss coworkers. My current setup includes working in my home office. My husband works during the day and my little one is at school so it’s just me and the cats during the day.

Not complaining at all but there are times I miss being around people and stuff myself in a cramped Starbucks or head to the public library just to get some time out of the house while still being productive with work.

There are coworking spaces where I can get the same thing but I’d rather opt for these free options. I actually used to use my sister’s apartment during the week, twice a week, just to get away from home.

4. Health Insurance

This is a BIG ONE. Before you quit, figure out your health insurance situation.

I tried to understand the whole health insurance thing before I quit. There was really nobody to talk to and the health policies I read through at my job were super hard to interpret and understand.

I ended up leaving the job the same day I gave my notice.

My intention was to give 2 to 4 weeks notice but once I found out I could leave same day with no penalty (meaning I was not leaving on bad terms and was eligible for rehire), I found it really difficult to say no, so I didn’t and I ended up leaving.

Did you know that in a lot of countries outside the U.S., like Canada, Europe, etc. that the public system helps residents with health care?

The general public is much more reliant on the system to help with health care costs.

I remember watching a documentary of a New York couple actually driving to Canada to give birth because of how much money they’d save.

So, what I do now is go through the exchange for my state and get health insurance.

It’s expensive and I don’t even include my husband (he’s covered anyway since he’s a disabled vet) because then it’d be like the cost of daycare full-time for a baby (which is super pricey $X,XXX).

I hear of families paying 2 grand a month for health insurance and my eyes slowly roll back into my head..smh.

It’s crazy.

My job had amazing health care. I was with a popular health insurance company that gave me a credit card for all expenses like doctors office copays, urgent care copays, etc.

If you make this leap, make sure you have this figured out.

5. Wild Holiday Party

There was a Christmas party every year. It was huge and held at the convention center downtown.

It was a big deal with paid photographers, a step and repeat (where you pose on the red carpet), paid entertainment, food, etc. They had Earth, Wind, and Fire perform one year.

There were incredible performers every year.

I never went to one.

In all the 7 years I was working there. A regret, I have to say.

6. Touring my Family

Often you’d see employees bring their family to the campus to show them around.

It was such an incredible campus and huge.

They had layers and layers of escalators, like 5 or 6 levels, 7 cafeterias with Starbucks, Wendy’s, Smoothie King, places to shop, gift store, and other perks. I always wanted to bring my husband and son but never did.

7. Financial Security

Nobody ever talks about this part when they have a business.

There are slow months and fast months.

A slow month could be $2,500/month (when our expenses for the month are $4,500 eek) and a fast month could be $18,000/mo. Huge, wild swings in income and lots of money being spent.

I started running an online store and would spend upwards of $10K per month on goods.

It was SO HARD to place those large orders.

I am so frugal at heart and prior to starting my business considered a large purchase $100. So this was tough.

My husbands income was pretty good for a while and then government shutdowns started happening and he just wouldn’t get paid or he’d get paid late, and this has been our experience over the past few years.

Luckily now he’s graduated and working and so we won’t have to worry on those periods where he just doesn’t get a paycheck and we’re forced to rely on my income, which usually is not a problem unless I am having a slow month, like last summer where I had 2 slow months in a row during our move a few hours away. Yikes.

You take this for granted when you’ve got a stable job.

Final Word

There you go. Gives you something to ponder on. I hope you enjoyed this. Comment below to share your thoughts!