Tips To Transition From Entrepreneur to Employee

When I first started blogging about my journey and experience as a young entrepreneur, I never knew I’d someday be sharing tips on how to transition from entrepreneur to employee. What has changed? – Well, a few months ago, I was facing some business challenges, juggling too many responsibilities alone, and I couldn’t launch the business I was planning at that time, and I decided to take a break, re-plan and re-strategise.

Weeks passed, I still wasn’t mentally ready to start again, just then I decided to get a short-term contract or temporary job, at least to keep busy, stay relevant in the industry, learn new things, meet new people and potential clients. Again, I was faced with new challenges including changing my personal brand, image and mindset from that of an entrepreneur to employee. Truth be told – some HR managers are intimidated by former entrepreneurs, because a “has-been” could end up being the boss one day. That’s why I had to be very careful not to come across intimidating, unemployable or “over-qualified” (don’t you just hate that?).

One option was to hide information on what I’ve been upto in the last few years – you can say ‘lie’ – NO! because now it only takes a google search for one to know a whole lot about you  – so lying wasn’t an option for me. Instead I was modest and simple, and then I approached the companies I was interested in. Yes! I got offers – but I did not accept any. Why? because I got my mojo back – I guess I needed the drawbacks to get my head back in the game.

So if for any reason you’d like to transition, I know there are several reasons why some people transition – but the decision is totally up to you, and I am not against anyone who’s trying to transition from self-employer to employee; hence, why I’m sharing these tips, and I hope you’ll find this useful. Here are some tips on how you can transition successfully.

• Explore Your Reasons & Understand Your Personal Goals

My reasons for making that decision – like I already said: I didn’t want to sit at home doing nothing; and even though I did not go through with it, I learnt a lot in the process; I left my comfort zone, tried new things and it improved my confidence three-folds. Therefore, exploring the reasons why you want to stop working for yourself and start working for another entrepreneur (harsh, I know!), is very important, and you also need to understand what you want to achieve in life. Sometimes circumstances can blind us from seeing the future, the prospects, the opportunities ahead; and all we want to do is give up, believing we can get rid of the problems that way. However, this step can help you see things clearly,  get a pen and paper, write down the main reasons and your personal goals, and if at the end you are convinced you have to transition, then you can go ahead.

• Conduct A SWOT Analysis Of Yourself

Just like when you started your business, you also have to conduct a SWOT analysis of yourself, to know your strengths, your weaknesses, and how you can improve yourself to be suitable for your dream job. This analysis will help you understand the kind of job that best suit your personality, and how your skills and experience can benefit your employer.  Remember you won’t be going in as a CEO or a business owner who is responsible for everything and everyone, you are going in as an employee who will be responsible for his/her given task, and probably in charge of one person or no one at all. So understanding yourself, your strengths and weaknesses will give you a better picture of the kind of jobs you should be applying for, whether it’s a team-oriented job or a one ‘man-band’ job.

• Research Your Preferred Industry & Job Role

Being a techie girl who also has a business management degree, worked as a business consultant and a technology consultant; I was more interested in companies in this sector/industry.  So in your case, you have to research companies offering services and products you are interested in, consider your experience in that industry,  and be sure you have the necessary skills. The truth is, someday you may want to go back to run your own business, and the worst thing that can happen is going back after wasting time and years in the wrong industry, and then you are out there struggling in business, all over again; who says you won’t transition back to  being an employee?  So do the right thing now, do your research and then apply for roles in companies you’ll learn a lot from,  a place where you will meet potential clients, partners, suppliers – who will follow you to your own business, FACT!

• Design Your Curriculum Vitae (CV or Resume)

I have a lot more to say about this, but I will try and keep it short….

I have heard some self-employed individuals brag about not having or needing a CV. Trust me, you can’t really get away from this one, everyone needs a CV, even the very successful entrepreneurs in the world have CVs – just Google it.  Whether you are an entrepreneur or a student, a strong resume is important in telling and selling your story and personal brand; they are designed to open doors for any one – be it a job, a contract or an investment. My CV for instance, is my self plan just like my business has a business plan. It’s a reminder of where I started, my progress, the gap I need to fill and where I should be headed. So if you still think you are too cool for school – in this case “for CV,” then think again! Oh and by the way, a CV is that personal profile and portfolio potential clients or companies request for when you make a bid; so if you are an entrepreneur without a CV, you should get one (click here to read why an entrepreneur needs a CV, and how to create one); and if you are transitioning and do not have a CV, you have to get one also.

Here’s how I optimised my CV for a job application (check the image on the right), I omitted the title ‘Founder,’ or ‘CEO,’ and used my main Job role for the title – (Had to hide some of my client’s info), but you can see from my CV that I have been self-employed since 2013, so I used the title: Independent Consultant on my CV, and I briefly described the projects and clients I worked for;  I also highlighted the jobs that where relevant to the company and the role I was applying for.

Think about the area of expertise you want to focus on and give yourself the appropriate title, highlight the projects you executed, your part in the project, so for instance if your staff was in charge of the project, you can say that you managed and monitored the project team and process, and you liaised with the client etc.

• Send A Speculative Email or Application To The Company Of Your Choice

A speculative email or application is one you send to a company that’s not currently employing or employing internally. Sometimes companies start the recruitment processes internally – open to employees only, or through referrals and recommendations, before advertising to the general public.  There’s absolutely no harm in trying, you might just gain access to the hidden/unadvertised jobs. This is exactly what I did, none of the companies I applied to, advertised any job openings, in fact the company I got the first offer from where planning to start advertising the following month, so I kind of saved them money and time – (well in the beginning), and I also kind of wasted their time by not accepting the offer. So I sincerely apologise to them for that.

Now for you,  start by sending an email with your CV and a cover letter to the companies you are interested in, introduce yourself, express your interest –  I simply said I’d like to work for them as ******* (whatever the job role), and then I explained why and how I will fit in and how I can contribute to the success of company. Now I hope you see why you need to do the SWOT analysis!

• Call Or Visit The Company

So what if they don’t respond to your speculative email/application? – Make a call, and if you are not comfortable with cold calling then visit their office. You can find the company’s address on their website’s contact us page.  What happens if they won’t let you walk in without an appointment?  – Here’s what I did, I went on LinkedIn, and I searched for the company’s HR or the CEO, took their names and details, learnt few things about them, and when I got to the offices, with a lot of confidence – I told the security at the gate and later the receptionist that I was there to meet with ‘Mr. this’ or ‘Mrs. that’. They thought I was probably family or a close friend. So even if you do not have an appointment, it’s all in the way you approach the first point of contact. Remember! first impression matters – and to be honest, this is Nigeria, you can get to meet anyone without an appointment. If you’ve done all the right things, and you still can’t get past the gate, then you need God and Luck to try again. Good Luck!

• Prepare! Prepare!! Prepare!!!

So I have told you the steps you need to take to transition successfully. Now I hope you are ready to make a move – visit or call the companies. But first you must be prepared, because they may just decide to interview you right away, and you want to be very prepared to impress them. The worst thing is walking in confidently and then you flop (oh! what a nightmare). So here’s how you prepare: 1. Research the company, 2. Refresh your interviewing skills.

• Research the company: Who are they? What services or products do they provide? What is the company’s culture, mission, vision and business values? Who are the customers or clients? Who are the competitors, partners, suppliers etc., – look for information that a typical applicant may not have. I will shed more light on this in my next post.

• Refresh your interviewing skills: Work on answering interview questions such as: tell us about yourself? why do you want to work for us? tell us how you help a client solve a complex problem? how do you perform a particular task (this depends on the industry and the job role you are applying for).

… and that’s it. I wish you all the best, I hope transitioning to employee is the right path for you. As an entrepreneur who’s been there, it’s sad to see you go, but I hope some day you will come back to the club. In the mean time, please follow my blog, and I will try as much as possible to post more information for everyone (entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs). GOOD LUCK!