Making the Best Out Of Your Corporate Job and Preparing for the Great Crossover
Aug

This is a guest submission by JK from HustlersNotebook.com
I’m an entrepreneur. Looking in from the outside, my current method of work may not display that of a traditional entrepreneur – but I am one. My business is me (my unique skill set and experience) and my client is my employer.
Unlike some, my experience in corporate America has been great. I’ve been on the recipient end of a number of promotions (I’ve never applied for a promotion) and averaged salary increases of 10-25% each year and I’ve accomplished these things while mostly working under my own schedule (freedom).
It’s been a great ride!
This isn’t by chance…it’s been by design. I’m an entrepreneur. If you’re one as well, you know that it’s commonplace for us to make the best out of even the most unfavorable situations (like having a job that we don’t like). Personally, I appreciate that my job provides a means to make a good living, but I aim to be self-sufficient…to be self-employed – so my days in corporate are numbered. And as the months count down, I become more and more aware of the value in preparing for my crossover.
Briefing
I graduated from college in 2003 and entered the workforce immediately. I disliked my job. I performed well but I felt like I was underpaid and unappreciated for all that I brought to the table. So in late 2004, instead of being a complainer and not doing anything about it (like 90% of my co-workers), I made a move. I started my own business in the real estate industry, which I went on to run in a successful manner for a little over two years.
In mid-2007 I started to see the signs of what would later become a collapsed market. Against what my mind wanted to do, my heart advised that it was time to go back into the corporate world in order to keep my family above water.
A New Breed of Employee: The Entrepreneur
When I re-entered the work space I did so as an entrepreneur. The mentality is very different from one who works for themselves, compared to one who works for someone else. When working for yourself, you are 100% accountable for your results.
So that was my approach…to work for myself. I continued to carry the heart and mind of an entrepreneur in the corporate arena…not just being a businessman, but a business.
Working in this fashion is comparable to taking the hard route to success…the only route to success. And as you may imagine, the results that come with it are great. Most complainers, average Joe’s and Jane’s seek the easy route, and only fall deeper into a slump because they fail to realize that their results mirror their output, They’re simply not willing to hustle hard enough to get the results they want. Those who perform at a high level, consistently, are the ones who manufacture the results that they want.
The Best Lab In The Land Is Right Within The Cubicles
One of the most important ways that I’ve made being an employed entrepreneur work for me is by taking advantage of the on-the-job trainings that comes free in the corporate environment. While I’ve attended dozens of high priced training seminars on the coin of my employer, the type of training I’m speaking about is from on-the-job experience, not in a conference room.
Instead of simply reading books and trying to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur by pure theoretical study, I’ve leveraged the security and low risk environment of my corporate job to experiment with different strategies, concepts and methodologies that I’ve learned from my entrepreneurial studies.
The Reality of Entrepreneurship
It has been about four years since I’ve been back on the corporate grind and the reality is very clear…entrepreneurship isn’t just about business start-up, owning a business or even being a risk taker. At its core, it’s a mindset of accountability and ownership. It’s a mentality that allows one who has the chops to make a bad situation into an opportune situation.
Everyone has what it takes to be an entrepreneur within them, but most people don’t have the will to live it through. If you’re sitting around and complaining, rather than performing at your max to make the best of your situation – you may find that when you do make the move to self-employment that you don’t have what it takes to succeed.
I’ve seen a number of colleagues leave the confines of the corporate space to start their own business over the years. There’s a vivid trend: top performers, in most cases, go on to be successful self-employed entrepreneurs. The complainers and poor performers, however, had to keep their resumes fresh, because they would need them within 6 months’ time.
Your Reality Check
Do you have the chops for entrepreneurship? Are you a high performer or do you just sit back and bask in your sorrow? If you’re not a high performer, I challenge you change your approach and become one.
Not only can you turn a possible unfavorable situation (job you hate) into a better one; by getting promotions, salary increases, recognition, more creative control and freedom, but more importantly – you’ll be preparing and conditioning yourself for the work ethic requirement of running your own operation.
Every time I speak about how I’ve made my corporate job work in my favor, there are a few who despise the message. I get it! I understand that there’s a population of people that don’t like hearing the truths of hard work, or the reality that poor results are the effects of poor performance.
They like to believe that they are simply down on their luck and hoping that a swing of good luck comes to save the day. Until it’s understood that there’s no easy route to success, those who are infected by the displeasure of their situation, but not doing a thing about it – will never change their reality. Also, they will most likely experience the same results as self-employed entrepreneurs as they did while employed.
Are you preparing for the crossover by being an entrepreneur even as an employee? And if you’re already there (solely self-employed), do you find any validity of this action and accountability based ideology?
Jk Allen (@JKtheHustler) is the heart and mind behind HustlersNotebook.com, a personal development blog that focuses on personal accountability, working hard and being a hustler.

TrafficColeman
JK..life is about making choices bro, and some of us choose the corporate word and others just do our own thing. But no mater what you do, just be the best.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Jk Allen
Can’t go wrong with trying to be the best!
Lindsay
This is a great perspective on how to make the most of your time in the corporate world and prepare yourself for the jump back to self-employment.
During my time in the corporate world, I noticed that what you get out of the experience is largely what you make out of it. Sure you can sit back and complain and shirk responsibility and arrive late and leave early. But even in frustrating jobs, there are still skills to be learned and ways for you to prepare yourself for the jump into self-employment.
Many of the skills I learned (blogging, HTML programming, Excel wizardry) were not things I had to do as a part of my job, but skills I sought out and learned when my job-related tasks didn’t take up the whole day.
Entrepreneurial skills can be hard to find in the corporate world, but those who have them are that much more valuable to employers!
Steve
So true Lindsay. Although I loathe almost every aspect of my job, I have gained many skills that will help me with my online business. I use the resources available to me as much as I can. It sounds like you did the same.
Jk Allen
Hey Lindsay,
I figure that I might as well make the best out of what I have…and doing so – has made my time “on the grind” pretty rewarding.
I guess it’s a personality thing. If I can’t make something work in my favor, and I dislike it, then I move on to the next thing. Life’s too short to be so unhappy.
Have a good week!
Justin | Mazzastick
Hi Steve & JK
I had the same mindset as you when it comes to working for others. I am an entrepreneur and the CEO of “ME” LLC.
I worked in corporate America for 15 years and the turnover was unbelievable. I stayed with one company for 11 years and only left do the downsizing that was taking place.
From my perspective the majority of employees do the bare minimum required to keep their jobs and most would rather be anywhere but at their place of employment.
I am self-employed now and take the same work ethic wherever or for whomever I am doing business with.
Jk Allen
Hey Justin,
Thanks for sharing your experience here. 11 years at one company…now that’s commitment. I haven’t been there…no where close. But I hope to one day be able to say that with my own company.
Some people are go-getters…and those are the types of people who I see succeed the most. It doesn’t matter what environment they are in…just that they have work to do and they work hard to do it well. I try to mimic myself in that light.
Steve
The CEO of me! That’s good..
It’s exactly right that most people will do just enough not to get fired. They have no real interest in their jobs and it shows. I’m guilty of this as well. My days are spent thinking about this blog and how I plan to get out of mu job permanently.
Hector Avellaneda
JK – hey brother you hit so many good points on here man that I don’t know where to start. (I’ll keep my comment to a minimal length)
You know what. I’ll be straight and honest with you man. For a while I didn’t agree with your ideology of “Im have a job but I consider myself an entrepreneur”. – I just didn’t have the guts to tell you! 🙂
But within the last few weeks as I’ve heard you talk more and more about this ideology, and even more so after listening to your interview over at Robert-Pinto’s blog, I’ve come to realize that EVERYONE, especially employees, must see themselves as an entrepreneur. In fact, it may be more important for employees to consider themselves entrepreneurs (over actual business owners) even if they don’t have any ambition to leave the work force in the future.
Here is why!
Every day as I make my way to that ungodly cube (lol) I look around and I see people who remind me of Peter Gibbons (the main character from the movie Office Space). They hate their jobs and do the bare minimum not to get fired.
For most people working in an office this is the reality. In fact I hear it everywhere. Everyone romanticize what it would be like to leave the company forever being financially free but since they know that IN REALITY that will never happen for them, they become complacent, they are not results oriented, they take no ownership or personal responsibility for the outcome of their job (or their future) and they do the bare minimum not to get fired.
They cary this attitude to their own personal life, with their families,friends and spouse.
They dont get promotions, raises and rarely get recognized.
One day they get tired of it all and leave their job to become entrepreneurs only to realize that their “method of operation” over the last 10 years is now the primary system that is operating within them that their better off going back to work and doing the “bare minimum”..
Most employees think that they are working for the company and that the company is doing them a favor by employing them when in reality (if you really know what you;re worth) it’s the other way around.
Now, if you can prove it – your’re golden! That change in mindset (your entrepreneur ideology) is A MUST because it induces you to compete (performance wise), seek more skills and become a greater asset, WHILE at the same time preparing yourself and unconsciously programing a dominant operating system of PERFORMANCE and RESULTS DRIVEN action taking, that you can later take to an entrepreneurial venture and excel magnificently!
I now have to say that this is a MUST IDEOLOGY and I think you my friend are ON TO SOMETHING VERY POWERFUL! So much so, that I think you could even write a book on this one ideology alone and why everyone needs it, whether you’re just an employee OR an employee trying to prepare yourself to make the change!
We should talk about this more, offline. I’d like to pick your brain a bit more! 🙂
What do you think about my rant above? Agree / Disagree? Interested in your thoughts JK!
Jk Allen
What’s up Hector. It’s all good that you didn’t think much of my ideology prior to recent weeks. I know it’s a left field. But man…it works. It’s not easy…but it works. The competition is relatively weak in the corporate space because so many people hate their jobs and as a result perform on average – average! Anyone can look like super man under those conditions.
I didn’t grow up with the luxury of being a complainer. It’s never gotten me anywhere. The only thing that I’ve benefited from is taking action. So instead of complaining I try to change the reality into a new reality; a better reality. If I can’t…I move on. It’s that simple.
Check this out…I’ve been asked by my former employer (that I left 2 months ago) to return quarterly to give presentations on “addressing work as an entrepreneur”. This is a large Fortune-level corporation and they proposed that I do a tour-like circuit to different hubs to give my message to leaders in the organization.
My previous employer sees that there was something to this ideology. And I think there’s a space out there where other SMB’s and major corporations will find the same value. I know it because the headhunters tell me so!
I have a soft b-plan under development to cultivate this concept further. I used to think I was lucky, Hector. I used to think the reason I made it out was because of luck…Then one day it snapped that I work harder than most of my peers. And then I saw the correlation. The harder and more focused I operate, the better results I obtain. The entrepreneur operates under the same methodology.
And one more note… I have people who look up to me (oldest of six, father of 3, etc.). I think that it’s my responsibility (and I own it) to be the best example that I can be. If people heard me fuss and complain all the time..they’d do the same thing. So I do the opposite in hopes that others see the difference and follow in the same direction.
Yeah man, let’s chat this week or next. I’ll give you a call…or you give me one.
Thanks for the comment.
PEACE
Hector Avellaneda
You’re so dead-on, JK and that’s awesome that your old company wants you to go back and speak. Again, like I said above, it goes to show that you’re really on to something wit this ideology and perspective.
Absolutely man! I think we’re way over due on an offline chat. I tell you what man I am actually pretty tied up this week as I am moving across town to be closer to my job so that I can come beat avoid traffic all together, get home 1 hour earlier and work my business.
But I would absolutely love to get some time to chat with you, man. Let’s plan for next week. I’ll get in touch with you later this weekend to iron out a date and set 30 minutes to an hour.. what do ya say?
Frank
For a long time I sat around and complained about opportunities not coming my way. I thought that the world was against me. But then I realized that my brand was being tarnished by me being lazy. I had to work on my product and my product was tied to my production. I am still in the process of changing my mindset and this post gave me the motivation to look at my current role in a whole new light. I have to stay focused. I have to stay hunger. I have to work this job like it is one I own in preparation for what comes next. Thanks for this great read. I appreciate it.
Jk Allen
Hey Frank,
Back in the day…I was the same way. I just did the minimum to get by. My poor attitude led me to poor performance which in turn only enabled me to get poor results. The mindset to change this is simple, but does take some time for adjustment because it’s pretty different than that of the status quo.
I wish you the best in your transition. Own it!
Benny
Great to see you here at ETG!
This is the one line that I liked, out of many. “They like to believe that they are simply down on their luck and hoping that a swing of good luck comes to save the day.”
That was me!! I believed that for so long. I thought it’s coming. Just keep doing the stupid stuff, and thinking the negative stuff, yet the good stuff will be coming!
Now that I’ve had my reality check. I don’t want to be one of those people. Let them keep complaining to each other during work and over some beers. All the while, the go getters are getting s*** done!
Jens P. Berget
Hi JK,
What you’re saying is important, and I’ve witnessed a lot of people that obviously are hating their jobs, but they’re still there not doing a crossover. Many people are just looking for a financially secure job and that’s all.
Having the mindset of an entrepreneur when you’re working in a corporate job sounds like a great thing. I’m doing my best to hustle and keep evolving where I’m currently working (at a college). The easiest part is to do projects alone, and start new projects. The hardest part is to get people to work with you 🙂
Jens