5 Reasons Why I Quit my Business to Pursue my Dream Job (FS144)

Val did the work many of us dream of doing. She was working for herself, building a career doing something she was good at, and she was making money.

But something happened that called her whole entrepreneurial dream into question and she had to re-evaluate what she wanted from her work.

In the episode today we’ll walk you through Val’s story and you’ll come out the other side with new insight about what you really want from your work.

Enjoy!

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“Val created her own successful business and then her whole dream was called into question…”
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Show Notes

“I want you to know that you can have anything you want, you just might not know what it is until it's staring at you and looks like something you'd never have expected.” ~ Val Geisler

Learn how to set goals that actually stick!

The Top 10 Mistakes in Online Business

Every week we talk with entrepreneurs. We talk about what’s working and what isn’t. We talk about successes and failures. We spend time with complete newbies, seasoned veterans, and everything in between.

One topic that comes up over and over again with both groups is mistakes made in starting businesses. Newbies love to learn about mistakes so they can avoid them. Veterans love to talk about what they wish they had known when starting out.

These conversations have been fascinating, so we compiled a list of the 10 mistakes we hear most often into a nifty lil' guide. Get the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Starting an Online Business here »

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14 thoughts on “5 Reasons Why I Quit my Business to Pursue my Dream Job (FS144)”

Tiana Dodson Renard says:

January 8, 2016 at 7:38 am

That was an amazing chat! Val’s story is inspiring to me because it’s reminded me that I am still sometimes unclear on why I’m doing this entrepreneur thing. Clearly identifying my “whys” for doing this work is so necessary, not only for recognizing opportunities, but also to be able to keep moving during a slump. Thanks for sharing, Val!

Oh, and it seems Chase is rubbing off on Barrett. Either that or Portland’s a magical place. :) Plus, now I have “Hotline Bling” in my head. Finally listened to the song. I know I’m late but I live in Germany. Gotta dust that “Pop-Pop” energy off of me.

Will Gibbons says:

January 8, 2016 at 8:17 am

Loved this one! I too think new SW was a redo of the originals.

That aside, this was an awesome podcast as I’m in a similar boat now. Potential opportunity on the horizon to work with a company I love and respect and get a deeper foot hold in an industry I’d like to push into. The whole autonomy thing also rings true for me. I think it’s the main reason I pursued being a freelancer and enjoy working for smaller companies. Furthermore, if I do join a company as an employee, my own website, craft and personal brand will not diminish. It’ll be my side-hustle.

Thanks for bringing this topic to The Fizzle Show!

Val Geisler says:

January 8, 2016 at 10:16 am

Wow. I’m super honored to hear this episode this morning. My big takeaways from the conversation are:
From Chase: We’re all gonna die from cancer anyways so why not follow your damn heart?!
From Barrett: Eventually something will most likely give and one role will prioritize itself over the other. Since my business is easily productized, I have a feeling it will lean toward priority in my intrapreneurship versus my entrepreneurship. But as this episode has highlighted clearly… never say never.
From Steph: Seeing a “letter from yourself” in my email makes me realize this is not a solitary problem to have. Feeling less alone always makes seemingly big problems smaller. Thanks for that.

Chase Reeves says:

January 12, 2016 at 9:05 am

Ha! You know when you say it like that it sounds kind of dour :(

Chris K Leslie says:

January 9, 2016 at 7:05 am

I had never heard the term “intrapreneur” before. It has completely reframed the way that I look at my job. In the automotive world my position and what I do isn’t very common. I am able to have the space a person needs to create and facilitate new ideas. The struggling part is that being “solo-cholo” means that it can be sometimes hard to look at the work as being meaningful.

The idea of the “Intrapreneur” for some reason have given me this boost that i’ve needed. It put some things into perspective for me and I now feel that it’s ok that I may not be an entrepreneur. Because, I can be a totally kick ass Intrapreneur.

Thanks Val and Fizzle for sharing.

Chase: You should do a whole show just as the Louisiana alligator guy..

Val Geisler says:

January 17, 2016 at 12:12 pm

Chris I absolutely love that for you! So glad to gift you the term Intrapreneur. Really helps give some perspective when we feel stuck.

Luke Abbott says:

January 10, 2016 at 9:38 am

Great episode, and I’m not even all the way through yet! Makes me realize how much I enjoy being a part of a team in the “intrapreneur” sense (which, in a way, is the role I have with one of my long-term web design/management clients). Good food for thought…

Chase asked about resources for figuring out what you need to live on. I wanted to recommend http://www.youneedabudget.com, also called YNAB. It’s a piece of accounting software, but it’s also a methodology and way of thinking that is explained with free articles and classes on the website, and can be used with any software (e.g., Excel) or just pen and paper. I do own the YNAB software, though, and it’s great. I even do my simple business accounting on it (although it’s mostly designed for personal finances). Unfortunately, you can’t buy it outright anymore; it’s $50 a year. Still, it may pay for itself in the form of greater awareness of your spending.

Hollie Barrett says:

January 10, 2016 at 7:27 pm

I love these guys. It seems like every podcast is speaking directly to me and at just the right time. Everything seems so relevant and useful. This particular episode hits home because I have been considering going back to work while I build my business because I miss being with other people and teamwork. It definitely reminded me that working with a great team is priceless. Miss that a lot.

Dominick says:

January 12, 2016 at 9:36 am

I’ve been listening for a long time and this episode took me by the throat and slammed me through a wall. I’ve been busting my butt for the past year starting my own business. The highs were unbelievable and the lows were soul crushing, yet I still made it a point to wake up early every day, come into the office, and get stuff done. Just this past month I received an offer from a colleague to become a C-level exec at his agency. Head of marketing and creative. I would be able to create my own schedule and get paid a great base to do what I love doing. It’s been an internal struggle to come to a point where I can accept this role without feeling my I’m putting all of my work from this past year in a box and shoving it to the back of a closet to get dusty while I make this pivot.

This episode is so validating. Why did I go solo? For freedom, to feel valued, and to make awesome stuff. To get recognized for it and awarded a chance to do this exact thing for a great pay and that same freedom is a great deal and is indirectly what I’ve been working towards without even knowing it.

You guys rock. And Star Wars wasn’t that good.

Val Geisler says:

January 17, 2016 at 12:14 pm

Congrats on that new role, Dominick! It’s so funny how the things we need the most aren’t usually what we search for on our own.