Escape the Cubicle: How to Leave Your Corporate or Government Job for Something Better
By Mark Anthony Germanos
Copyright 2011 by Mark Anthony Germanos
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved
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http://MarkAnthonyGermanos.com
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Written by Mark Anthony Germanos
Edited by Amberly Finarelli
Cover designed by Holly Wolfe
Foreword
When you are considering leaving your job for the wild unknown of “self-employment,” the world can be a very lonely place. You don't know what you'll expect or how best to proceed. Escape the Cubicle is a great resource if you're considering the big leap. I wish I had had a guide like this when I made the jump!
When you decide to strike out on your own, there are lots of variables you think about like business licenses and taxes. Mark does a great job covering all the variables you probably never thought about. In addition to just the mechanics of moving from employee to self-employed, Mark integrates a “big picture” view of integrating your whole life with the work you love to create an even better life with a job you can keep forever (if you choose to), working for yourself.
Escape the Cubicle is a great combination of practical facts, experienced advice, and a desire to help people create a business that meshes with their personal goals. Most people never consider growing personally and professionally at the same time through self-employment. Mark shows you how to do just that and enjoy the process while you're at it.
Karl W. Palachuk
About the Author
Mark Anthony Germanos is a trusted adviser. He can help you run your business smarter, attract business by using social media and stay in business by keeping your computers and networks working. That is what he does. He’s been doing this since 1992. Mark has a life, a wife and a dog.
Mark is a public speaker. You can find him presenting:
• Use Social Media to Improve Business: Your competitors do…so should you
• Make Smarter Decisions with a SWOT Analysis
• Use QR Codes…When the Page is not Big Enough
• Use Outlook to Run Your Business Better, and
• Internet Freebies to Help You Save Money.
He also helps people use social media to attract business. This includes creating and maintaining a vibrant presence at Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, WordPress (blog) and YouTube. These services are big magnets where potential customers congregate. You need to use these services. Your competitors and customers probably do.
Mark has been President of Cameron Park Computer Services since 2002 and a computer networking professional since 1992. He helps customers use computers, networks and Internet access to run their businesses. People go to work and find their computers work, their Internet access works and their printing works. People are happy, bosses are happy, customers are happy. People get their jobs done and the business prospers.
With this unique package, Mark is able to go into a business, talk with staff and within 30 minutes, tell you if the business is successful. He can also show you how to fix the bad habits and replace them with habits that successful companies embrace.
Appreciation
We do not appreciate our high school English teachers enough. We realize this only after we graduate.
MAG
Chapter 1. Let Your Light Shine
Don’t let anybody take it away.
I know a woman who worked at an architect’s office. It was a strict environment and the owner ruled with meanness. Staff was unhappy. People complained constantly. The office had a negative energy, and even though this woman had significant seniority there, she was almost as unpleasant as the owner.
A few years later, I saw her at a local park. She and a coworker had started dating and launched a company training dogs for police departments. I recognized him immediately, since he also worked at the same architect’s office. I didn’t recognize her at first. She had a new glow and warm smile, and she radiated happy, youthful, and positive energy. I stared at her for 10 seconds before realizing this was the same woman from the architect’s office. Shedding the negativity of the architect’s office and going into business with her boyfriend had made her a beautiful, wonderful, and happy person. I told I didn’t recognize her at first glance. Others told her she had changed 180 degrees.
• Are you caught in a similar negative environment?
• Is your inner light being dimmed?
• Do you hate your job?
• Would you be happier somewhere else?
• Would you be happier doing something else?
• Do you expect to lose your job?
• Would you be happier if you were self-employed?
This book is for you.
Chapter 2. Welcome
In this chapter, you will learn:
• How Escape the Cubicle can help you
• How you are not alone
• How support structures are waiting to help you
• How Mastermind groups can be crucial to your success
• How to create a Mastermind group
I feel your pain. I will help you overcome fear of self-employment and also make smart decisions with your time, energy, and money. This is not the only book out there. Why did you grab this one? Did asking one of the previous questions prompt you? Did the title strike a chord within you?
Here you will find advice to help you:
• Build the foundation for self-employment
• Embrace social networking as a necessary activity
• Market your services with social networking
• Determine what tools you need to run your business
• Develop habits that will help you stay in business
I have also created a composite character, Daphne the Dancer. Daphne will launch her own business. You can follow along. Watch for “Let’s return to Daphne…” entries.
I Was a Cubicle Dweller Too
My last cubicle-dwelling job was that of a webmaster at a downtown Chicago bank. We were the 36th largest financial institution in the United States at the time. We had a server room larger than a tennis court. Entering the server room and building $90,000 servers was fun.
Times were good: I lived 26 floors above downtown Chicago. I paid off my student loans three years early. I took scuba diving vacations to Caribbean islands I could not find on the map. The paycheck was a sure thing. All I had to do was play the political games.
That was the tough part. The political climate was venomous; my boss’s boss had a very open disagreement with his boss and was reassigned. This drama dragged on for months and was the primary topic of discussion at our staff meetings. I thought that I could not get myself fired. Instead, I feared my boss’s boss would get his entire team fired. Looking back, I cannot recall why these bosses disagreed.
Maybe you have a similar culture at your cubicle job. Someone you have never met may read a report tomorrow and fire your team because it would be a good “business decision.” Stockholders and money managers want profits. If that means firing people in the U.S. and hiring people in Malaysia for 1/6 the cost, most companies would do it. Your employer has to reduce staff; your name is on a short list.
Maybe you’re already unemployed. Great! This is a blessing in disguise. You are free to read all the job-hunting and self-help books you can find. Tell the world you are free. Interview and network at will. There is no shame in being unemployed or self-employed. Make building your new career your primary activity. You are so free and fortunate. Rejoice.
Whatever the case may be, you’re here. Welcome to Escape the Cubicle.
Find a Support System
You won’t be the only self-employed person out there. In the United States, 9.3 million people are full-time self-employed. Another one million do it on the side. People become self-employed for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you’re tired of your current occupation. Perhaps you want to be your own boss. Perhaps you want more money for the same work. I am self-employed and life has never been better.
Find others who do what you want to do. I realize I am not the only computer network consultant in Sacramento, and that is why I meet with my peers every month. I am not the only author in Sacramento, so I meet with others every month. I am not the only self-employed person in Sacramento, and that is why I meet with others almost every week. For whatever profession you choose, you need to find others in the same line of work. View them as teammates. Remember that if you are offering a professional service and not a commodity, they are not your competitors.
Four years ago, I found a group of computer network consultants that meets once a month in Sacramento. The organizers are very successful and volunteer their time to this group. They feel a need to help others in their profession make better decisions. They have nothing to gain. They give and they give and they give, and they expect nothing in return. I have presented various topics at this group’s meetings. I do it for the same reason: to help my peers. We attend these meetings because we know we can share successes and also brutal lessons. By sharing brutal lessons, we can help others identify and avoid similar situations. You need a support system like this. It is a place to share knowledge with others in the same profession.
I also attend monthly meetings of authors and speakers in Sacramento. We have guest speakers who share advice on their niche. We invite members to present an issue to the group and then group members give the presenters advice. I consistently report that this group’s meetings are the most nutritious meetings I attend. This group is growing by leaps and bounds—the hotel that rents us our meeting room has moved us to rooms that are larger than the previous month’s room four months in a row. Although it’s not as technical as my computer network consultant group, this group has high-energy meetings with very valuable content. When I first started attending, I said the members enjoyed a status I was pursuing. You need to find a group where the members enjoy a status you are pursuing.
I found another organization in early 2010. They meet once a week and share ideas to help its small-business-owner membership get through the week. I call this a support group for “solopreneurs,” people who are self-employed and have no employees. Members volunteer their thoughts and present valuable information to the group. I have shared social networking strategies and SWOT analyses with the group. I am the only member of my chapter who is a computer network consultant. Other members have their own walks of life. We all, however, are self-employed. You should find a support group too.
The more you contribute the more you receive. I see people attend these meetings and say nothing. They sit in their chairs as if they were at home watching TV. Sometimes they take notes and sometimes they don’t. I wonder what they gain by attending these meetings. I used to do that too, but that changed one day when I presented online backups and reasons why you should back up your data offsite. I discussed disasters such as the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the San Diego fires. I created a good presentation and earned more credibility from everyone attending. I’ve presented additional topics since then and find my stock consistently increasing. I made a higher time and energy commitment to the group, so I get more out of it. I’m sure you will see the same benefits.
Members provide professional services. Members are not selling commodities and therefore do not have competitors. You should find groups of small business owners you can view as teammates who also enjoy a status that you are pursuing. It is not easy out there. You need a support system.
Here are some support systems:
• Almost every city, town, and village has a Chamber of Commerce. You can Google your town and the phrase “Chamber of Commerce.” I’m sure you will find one for your town or at least your area. You can attend mixers at no cost, but membership will have a price tag.
• Do you want success? Two of my friends launched an organization they call Successful Thinkers and have grown it by nourishing and spawning local chapters. I regularly attend the Cameron Park chapter and have given speeches at the Arden (Sacramento), Auburn, Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, and Jackson chapters. I understand Successful Thinkers is growing outside California and has found recent success in Indianapolis. Successful Thinkers provides an environment where businesspeople can share ideas and meet other business owners. You can Google “Successful Thinkers” or search for them on Facebook. They may have a chapter near you. These meetings have no charge.
• Say hello to Rotary. Almost every community has a Rotary Club. Rotarians practice service over self by helping improve their communities. Rotary, International and its 1.2-million-member volunteer base work to combat hunger, improve health, and eradicate polio. My local Rotary Club includes the “movers and shakers” of the community. The folks whose names end up in the newspaper (for good reasons) are also active in the local Rotary. This is a very attractive place for networking. Different Rotary Clubs have varying financial commitments, so visit www.rotary.org to learn more about the Rotary Club closest to you.
• You can find more networking groups at www.meetup.com or www.linkedin.com. I’ve found networking groups that cover almost every niche. You should determine your niche and then go looking for a group. Some are very specific—I’ve been invited to women’s networking groups. I haven’t attended for the obvious reason, but they may work for you.
Regardless, remember that you are not alone. Finding a support system will help you run your business better, meet high-quality people, and gain credibility.
Find or Create a Mastermind
Go one step further. You can find or create a group of small business owners who openly share valuable insights, whose members are successful in their fields, and where everybody feels they gain by participating in this group. These are called Masterminds.
The Mastermind was not my idea. Our great nation was formed by a Mastermind. John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry Lee became disgruntled with British rule and organized a Correspondence Committee “for the purpose of friendly cooperation for the Betterment of the Colonies of British America.”
A Mastermind is a coordination of knowledge and effort, in a positive manner, to help achieve a definite purpose. A Mastermind has two characteristics:
• Economic. People want to make money and gain advice on how to do that. Napoleon Hill says most of history’s richest men have utilized Masterminds.
• Psychic. When two or more people get together and think about something, they generate an energy that is greater than the sum of its parts. The solution is stronger than what the members could have thought of individually. Napoleon Hill says: “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.” I’ve seen this happen in good staff meetings and on successful sports teams. Perhaps you have witnessed this too.
Stack your Mastermind with valuable people. Consider your desired profession and find others in complementary professions. As a computer network consultant, if I were creating a Mastermind today, I would choose an accountant, realtor, insurance broker, lawyer, coach, and financial advisor who I already consider as friends. I’m sure each could contribute something valuable to the group. I know they would expect the same from me. Masterminds work when members share valuable time and information. They fail when members expect to receive without giving.
If you cannot find a Mastermind, create one. You can find attractive candidates at Chamber of Commerce events, Successful Thinkers meetings, Rotary Clubs, and other networking organizations. Remember, the support systems you utilize will probably be the best sources to find attractive candidates. You can also review your list of vendors, business partners, and customers. Some of them may be thinking of a Mastermind group too.
Chapter 3. Let Me Challenge Your Desire (I hope you’re ready)
In this chapter, you will learn:
• How to create your Definite Mission
• How to hold yourself accountable
• How to create a business plan
• How to determine your insurance cost
• How strong you have to be to overcome the odds
Now that I’ve sparked your interest in self-employment and shown that you are not alone, let me challenge your desire. Only after surviving the challenge will you know for sure that you want to do this. Here are the challenges:
Have You Set Your Definite Mission?
You have probably set Definite Missions at different times in your life. I have. They were all major steps for me and helped me accomplish a high priority at a particular point in my life. Completing one Definite Mission usually opens the door to another—for example, you would achieve a bachelor’s degree before you pursued and achieved a master’s degree. A list of my Definite Missions includes:
• Earn a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.
• Pay off my student loans 38 months early.
• Become a certified scuba diver.
• Own my residence.
• Earn the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) designation.
• Become successfully self-employed.
• Publish my first book, How to Make Computer Systems Work for You.
• Publish this book.
• Make a living off this book and the speaking/consulting opportunities it creates.
Definite Missions are provable, concise, and ambitious.
I can prove I earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. I have records indicating when I took classes there and I have the bachelor’s degree hanging on my wall. I have a copy in the vault at a local bank. I can also have you call the Michigan State University Registrar’s office and verify that I really did earn a bachelor’s degree in 1989. I am 100% positive I can prove that I earned the bachelor’s degree.
This Definite Mission was concise. It truly is a bachelor’s degree, not an associate’s degree, master’s degree or Ph.D. It truly is from Michigan State University and not from DePaul University or Loyola University, where my mom and dad graduated. I can show you my transcript (also in the vault) that lists all the classes I took and the grades I earned. I am 100% positive.
It was very ambitious. I heard that most college freshmen do not graduate in four years. I decided to work hard and beat the odds. I did not know how I could pay for it, since I was not a resident of Michigan when I chose MSU and I would therefore pay out-of-state tuition. I found enough funding to get me through school. I also chose a curriculum that entailed countless hours of research and paper writing. MSU’s library did not use the familiar Dewey Decimal System—instead, they use the Library of Congress’ numbering scheme. I learned to understand it quickly. I learned that writing good papers meant presenting my argument, presenting the opposing argument, and then summarizing why my argument carries more weight. It was a lot for a kid who woke up one day in East Lansing and knew nobody.
You need a Definite Mission that is provable, concise, and ambitious. Since you’re reading a book about self-employment, let me propose this one: Become successfully self-employed.
You can prove this by leaving your current job and steady paycheck. You can prove you’re self-employed by looking at all your revenue for a month, quarter, or year and showing none of it came from an employer.
This is concise. In my example of a Definite Mission, I used the word “successfully,” which in this case means you generate revenue, pay the bills, and have money left over. If you generate $100,000 in revenue, pay all your bills, and have at least $1 left, you are successful.
It is ambitious. Quitting a job and launching a small business is not easy. Most small businesses in our country fail, for a variety of reasons. I will get into those later. You have to identify what you want to do, whether or not you can make a living doing it, and whether or not you can run a business efficiently. Most of this is on-the-job training. It’s not easy and you will make mistakes every so often.
Most people do not have a Definite Mission. People accept jobs they don’t like because either the money is good or the job was available. They haven’t thought of their Definite Mission. Since they haven’t identified their Definite Mission, they haven’t pursued it.
You should write your Definite Mission with deliberate care. Put it someplace where you will see it at least once a day. This helps cement your Definite Mission in your subconscious mind and increases the likelihood it will manifest.
Suppose you stare at a computer all day but really want to run a dance studio. Your work brings in cash and pays the bills but it really isn’t your Definite Mission. Dancing is something you enjoy. Running a dance studio may be your Definite Mission.
Now that you’ve identified your Definite Mission of running a dance studio, write it on an index card. Put it someplace where you will see it at least once a day. I created three identical cards. One is on my nightstand, one is on my desk, and one is in my car. I see my Definite Mission more than 10 times a day. The verbiage is the same.
How Is a Definite Mission Better than a Mission?
I’m sure you noticed that I’m promoting a Definite Mission and not just a mission. I feel society uses the word “mission” too often and the power is therefore weakened. You need something stronger than just another mission. Write and embrace your Definite Mission. See
www.cameronparkcomputer.com/escape/Mission-vs.-Definite-Mission.pdf for a chart showing missions and Definite Missions.
These Definite Missions were forward-looking. I wrote a Definite Mission and then found a way to accomplish it. The opposite can also happen. Your Definite Mission can be backward-facing.
Write a Thank You Letter
You can write a thank you letter to yourself. This letter shows your Definite Mission and thanks you for agreeing to accomplish it. I will use my Definite Mission Become a certified scuba diver to show you how this works.
Grab a legal pad and date it one year from today. Start by writing “Dear [your name], I want to thank you for agreeing to accomplish the Definite Mission of [Definite Mission]. It wasn’t easy. You learned…. You used to think…. You now think…. Life is now better. Thank you.” Sign it.
This might be easier with a Microsoft Word template. I posted one online that you can use if you want to type and print your thank you letter. I am calling it the Definite Mission Thank You Letter. See www.cameronparkcomputer.com/escape/Definite-mission-thank-you-letter.docx for a downloadable template.
My scuba diving certification Definite Mission Thank You Letter could look like this:
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Mark Anthony Germanos
3450 Palmer Drive #4-286
Cameron Park, CA 95682
December 31, 2011
Mark Anthony Germanos
3450 Palmer Drive #4-286
Cameron Park, CA 95682
Dear Mark:
I want to thank you for agreeing to accomplish the Definite Mission of agreeing to become a certified scuba diver. It wasn’t easy.
You learned how to calculate your air consumption and nitrogen production. You learned how to use the dive charts to determine how long you have to stay at the surface and “outgas” the nitrogen before going back under water. You also learned how to control your buoyancy and respect everything you find in the ocean.
You used to think the ocean was no place for people. I remember how you were scared of the ocean and thought all scuba divers ended up as shark lunch.
You now think the ocean is a large, healthy, and beautiful gift that we have to maintain. Life is now better. You are awesome!
Mark Anthony Germanos
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My first challenge to you is: write your Definite Mission.
Where Do You Want to Do Business?
You’ve identified your Definite Mission and should now identify where you will have success achieving it. You may respond: “Mark, I can make this concept work anywhere.” In that case, I am very happy for you. Make sure you can make it work anywhere.
Your Definite Mission may mandate moving to a place where you can make it work. If you live in a big city and want to run an organic farm, you may have to move. If you’re an artist in a small town, you may have to move to a big city to a) pay the bills and b) get your creative juices flowing. Regardless, I recommend making sure you can get good cell phone reception and reliable Internet connectivity wherever you open up shop.
Check the cell and Internet service
Knock on doors. Ask people how well their cell phones work and how fast/stable their Internet connection is. I’ve seen how unreliable cell phone service creates frustration, and reliable cell phone service becomes something people take for granted. I have friends who have canceled their land line phone service because their cell phone service is so reliable and convenient.
I’ve seen companies benefit from fast and reliable Internet access while others less than five miles away are crippled by their mediocre service.
Find a good neighborhood
Visit the schools. Good schools usually indicate good neighborhoods. By “good neighborhoods,” I am referring to:
• Access to an economic center
• Low crime
• Prosperous neighbors
• Good jobs and business climate
• Reliable and affordable utilities
You can add to this list. At the end of the day, you probably want to live and work in a place you can enjoy.
Avoid the head tax
Make sure you check the tax rates. They are far from equal. In addition to property taxes, income taxes, and sales taxes, you may end up with a head tax.
“What,” you may say, “is a head tax?”
I first experienced the head tax when working at a downtown Chicago condo association. I asked my boss what the head tax was, and if we seriously had to pay it. She told me the city of Chicago charged employers $5 per employee per month as a head tax. All employers had to pay it. I told her it obviously motivated employers to move to the suburbs. She agreed. She told me to pay it because as unwise as the tax was, the association still had to pay it. I processed the paperwork for 18 employees and sent the city a check.
I understand Chicago has since revoked and reinstated the head tax, this time at $4 per employee per month. I feel the head tax is a bad idea. Employers who can open up shop in the city or in one of the eager suburbs like Arlington Heights, Elk Grove, or Oak Brook will find the suburbs more attractive. I understand the city and county of Denver have maintained a head tax and so has the state of Alaska.
My second challenge to you is: decide where you want to do business.
What If Your Boss Finds Out?
People hesitate because they fear the boss would find out and then fire them. On one side, that could be true. You could have a boss who would fire an employee if he found out that person was moonlighting, building a business, or doing something else on the side. That could happen.
On the flip side, the chances are very slim. You’re better off having an open conversation with your boss regarding your Definite Mission. Your boss would probably find out anyway. Your boss may overhear you discussing your Definite Mission with a coworker, find your research materials, or find this book in your cubicle. In my opinion, the chances of you getting fired are far less than your boss admiring you more and respecting your ambition.
With that being said…
Make sure your Definite Mission does not conflict with your current job or violate a noncompeting contract. Ask your boss or the human resources (HR) folks to see your file. This should contain any nondisclosure or noncompeting contracts that you’ve signed. If you’re selling cell phones at work and trying to do the same on the side, you may have a big conflict. If you are an auditor at work and a dance school instructor on the side, you may be in the clear. I know a dance instructor who teaches dance at night and audits contracts during the day. She says, “Dancing is in my heart but auditing contracts pays the bills.”
My third challenge to you is: tell your boss.
You also owe your employer honest work. If your employer is paying you for 40 hours’ work each week, you owe him an honest 40 hours’ work. One of my friends worked tech support for a large law firm. He also built web sites for his personal customers at work, on company time and on company-owned equipment. His desk was situated so his coworkers, his boss, and his boss’ boss could see what was on his screen. He got fired. Nobody was surprised.
Are You Ready For Less Money and More Work?
Are you expecting to get filthy rich without working hard? That is one of the reasons people enter self-employment. The opposite usually happens during the first few years. You invest in inventory, machinery, and training. You don’t have an established client base, a reputation, or good business practices yet. You spend significant personal time getting the business up and running. It isn’t easy. Most businesses fail within the first five years.
To overcome this, you need to talk with the man in the mirror. Ask if he is willing to work more for less money. Ask if he is willing to give up his elective comforts like European vacations, golf club memberships, and recreational boats for a few years. Ask if he will give up the $150-per-month TV service, weekly movie, dinner and wine with a spouse, and new clothes. Ask if he is secure enough to start a business without knowing what good or bad events will cross his path. Nothing is guaranteed in this world. That includes your business surviving five years.
Where Is Your Business Plan?
You can find comfort in a business plan. I wrote my first business plan in late 2009 even though I started working for myself in 1992. Today’s economy is different. You need a framework for making good decisions. You need to know specifically what you want to do and what you don’t want to do. You need to know who else is doing it and how they price their goods and services.
Yes, I’m talking about homework. Just because you’re not a student does not mean you are exempt from homework. Your homework project is to create a business plan.
You can start small. I launched the Small Business Administration’s business plan template and completed the “Products and Services” section first. I listed two products and then saved my changes as a Microsoft Word document. Later that week, I realized that I forgot an additional seven products and services that should be in the business plan. I opened the plan, added more products, and then saved it.
I set an Outlook reminder for the first day of each quarter to update the business plan. The following quarter arrived and up popped the reminder. I looked at the plan and decided to generate my profit/loss reports for the previous two years. I saved them as PDFs in the same folder as my business plan.
The following quarter, I realized that I switched vendors for one of my services. I updated the business plan with accurate info regarding this new vendor. I also wrote where I think my industry is going. It’s part of the plan and I feel you owe it to yourself to at least write your ideas, whether they are right or wrong.