It sounds so glamorous, right?

“I'm an entrepreneur”…

But is it really all coffee meetings, blow-dries and expensive suits? No. There are a few things you need to be aware of before you step out of security… and into the realm of entrepreneurship.

What do you want from this journey? If you want fame, popularity, riches and enviable experiences…. get off the train now. You’re wrong, you’re out and you’re going to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed – at first.

Before the cheques and the Forbes list comes an, at times a disheartening concoction of pain and loss. On the ladder up, you’ll brush off the hands of many ‘friends’, even family, that disguised their downward pulling as support. You saw their hand on your arm and presumed it was there to lift you up, but sadly so many of those hands just wanted a piece of the pie or to stop you from reaching the sky at all. 

You'll find that people start expecting something for free – or expecting you to be free all the time. Trying to explain that just because you're at home, doesn't mean you're an open house, gets old. It's hard to get across and even harder to ignore the faces of disappointment.

I'm not here to tell you not to take the leap. In fact, I want you to. But do it with open eyes and an open heart.

Be mindful of the fact that before gain, comes loss.

You're going to lose some relationships – Because if they aren't working for you, they're working against you.

You're going to lose some money – Because every business needs your time and your investment.

You're going to lose some sleep – Because at some point your reality is going to be better than your dreams.

You're going to lose some clients – Because finding the right ones is more important than the money.

It's going to hurt… but not forever. One day, in a few years from now, you're going to wake up. Wake up to a beautiful group of exquisite, supportive friends (Societe gals, I'm looking at you!), wake up to a life that works for you rather than works you, wake up to an abundance of self-satisfaction that this beautiful life is yours.

If you can hold your own and enjoy the inevitable changes that are coming your way, I know you're going to make it.

[Optional] Don't believe? Put one foot inside The Societe and you'll find a group of women who have literally struggled-hard – and what are like now? Supportive, uplighting, beautiful souls who know this road. They know your pain, even if you can't speak it yet. They won't ever, ever let you go it alone.