I’ve spoken a lot on this platform about why I left my corporate job. I hated sitting all day, wasn’t passionate about what I was doing and felt like I sucked at my job. You’ve heard it all before.
But what I don’t give enough air-time to is how much my job has actually helped me start and run my own business. In some ways, I feel like I started late in the game and in other ways, I feel I am at an advantage because of the skills I have developed working in large corporate companies for several years.
So if you are sitting at your desk right now, daydreaming about how you can one day leave this position to take your side hustle full time (like I used to do) here is a new perspective for you; there is so much you are currently doing and learning right now that will eventually help you run your own business one day.
Here are 5 skills that I learned in my 9-5 job that I use every day and that have helped me run my own business:
1. Developing a Sense of Respect
No matter what your business is (for the most part) chances are you will be “client-facing” or “customer-facing” at some point or another. Whether it’s selling a product, teaching a course or working with brands, there will always be someone on the other end of your business who you will need to show respect to.
I learned to develop and demonstrate respect in two ways in my corporate job. Firstly by having a boss and secondly by having potential clients I was trying to close a deal with.
When there are people you have to respect in business in order to perform well, you learn some developmental skills that go a really long way. You learn to grow a thicker skin, to take constructive (or not so-constructive) criticism. You learn to take the high road even when you know you are right. To compromise or agree to things even if they don’t make sense at the time. To eat shit. Do the crappier jobs when you don’t want to.
All of these things ultimately lead you to develop a certain amount of respect that you will show to anyone you are facing in business. Respecting superiors, clients, customers and demonstrating that they are the most valuable part of your business will set you up for success. It can’t be taught but it can definitely be learned, especially in a corporate work environment.
2. Work Ethic
Having a work ethic can be really challenging when you work from home. Sleeping-in, staying in PJs, bingeing on netflix always feels like a better idea at the time. But coming from a job where you have to be at an office every single day, no matter what, aside from your 5 allotted sick days and 10 allotted vacation days a year sure as hell helps you develop a work ethic.
When I left my job I found the freedom to create my own schedule extremely hard to navigate because I was so used to having to be somewhere at a specific time every day. Although it seems luxurious, and it definitely can be, it is still, to this day, a hard adjustment.
Just know that, for now, setting your alarm the same time each day, commuting and showing up, as hard and upsetting as it might make you today, is nurturing you to run your own bad-ass business in the future because you are developing that work ethic on a daily basis.
3. E-mail Etiquette
This is a big one. It might seem like common sense to some people, but you’d be surprised how often I receive or see e-mails that are poorly written, don’t get to the point and show no respect. Learning to write a professional, no BS email takes practice and it is most definitely a skill you learn working in a corporate environment.
E-mails are sometimes the first impression people have of you and can also be a make or break situation. There are resources online that can also teach you to craft a solid e-mail but take pride in the fact that if you are working corporate right now, chances are you are perfecting your email skills that will allow you to eventually pitch your brand or offer customers a great experience.
4. Legal Documentation
This one may just be specific to my experience. When I was in real estate, I read and worked on lengthy legal documentation all day long. I can’t even begin to explain how much this has served me in my job today.
Although being an Instagram influencer might seem like a joke to some people, trust me when I say there are contracts for days. And I can only imagine what some of my peers think when they see some of these documents if they’ve never read a legal document before. It can be super intimidating and often dangerous!
I feel super grateful that I have the experience under my belt to confidently go over most of my contracts myself and have saved a ton of money on legal fees that way. Regardless of what your business is, you will need to deal with legal documents in some way or another and having a basic understanding of contracts will be super helpful.
5. Understanding the “Other” Side
Whenever I am waiting to hear back from a company, brand or person, I always remember what it was like for me working in a corporate office. It can be so easy when you are running a small business or are a one-woman show to get annoyed or discouraged about not hearing back from people right away.
What I always remind myself or tell my friends who don’t have the corporate experience is, decisions take time, it’s almost never up to the person we’re dealing with and, to us, our businesses are EVERYTHING, but we are likely just one of many accounts this person is working on.
In addition to understanding time constraints of companies I’m dealing with, it is also helpful to remember my position in the corporate world when it comes to negotiating. I always try and put myself in the person’s shoes I’m dealing with, based on my past experience, to offer an idea or come to an agreement that shows value to both parties.
So if you are sitting here right now, wishing you were blogging from home, running that e-commerce store you always wanted, or selling that e-book you’ve dreamed of, know that the skills you are currently developing at your desk right now will only help you achieve these goals in the long run. Nothing you do is a waste of time if you can find the value in it. It’s all about perspective!
I hope you found this helpful.
xoxo