Marie-Claire AssekoThis is the first installment of a 5-part series titled: From Résumé to Revenue: Turning Skills into a Business That Works.
As an employee-turned-solopreneur learning to sell her own value, this journey has been nothing but easy! It constantly challenges my perspective and forces me to grow comfortable with uncertainty…I feel like I have to evolve lighting fast and I want to take you along for the ride ~ my experience might be useful to you!
You can find this article in French here.
I was talking about this with a friend a few days ago…
➡️ Going from being an employee to a solopreneur wasn’t just a change in status. It was almost like… shedding skin.
The Challenge: The Invisible Wall to Entrepreneurship
In a corporate setting, my skills were recognized, sought after, and valued.
But when I tried to offer them in a different context for the first time, I discovered an invisible wall: how could I transform my excellence as an employee into a clear and competitive offer as an entrepreneur? 🤔
It was (and still is) unsettling:
⩥ My only point of reference was what I had accomplished in a corporate setting. But the consulting/freelance market plays by different rules. 🫨
⩥ I knew how to execute brilliantly. But innovate? Create a differentiated product or service? It was a new language🤯.
⩥ As employees, we cultivate the “good student syndrome” (especially women): we do what is expected, we get an annual evaluation and even a recognition bonus 🥇.
While in entrepreneurship, there are no report cards. Sometimes, the only “reward” is the conviction that you made the best possible decision with the information available… even if it later turns out to be counterproductive. We live and we learn! 🫡
And above all, the killer question:
Are my experiences in corporate really relevant to creating value outside of corporate?
The Breakthrough: Understanding The Skills Needed
By surrounding myself with entrepreneurs and supporting them through their own journey, here’s what I (finally!) realized:
🌟 Being an entrepreneur requires very specific skills.
🌟 Yes, you can learn them “on the job,” but it often involves pain, frustration, and confusion.
🌟 But you can also get training. Because no, you can’t improvise Design Thinking on a napkin. And updating a Business Model Canvas that dates back to Methuselah has nothing to do with building one for the first time…
Well, nothing can guarantee that we won’t experience any pain, frustration, or confusion along the way, but at least we’re equipped! 😅
Shifting Gears: Developing New Skills
🎯 So if you’ve experienced/are experiencing this same gap between your skills as an employee and your beginnings as a solopreneur…know that you’re not alone.
The good news? You can develop these skills. And they open the door to unparalleled creative and professional freedom.
TL;DR – When Being a Performing Employee Hinders Entrepreneurship
You can be exceptional at your job and still struggle to package that value as a solopreneur. The shift requires unlearning, new references, and a different mindset.
👉 What was the biggest surprise for you in your transition from employee to entrepreneur?
