?Hello and welcome back to the Gen X Remix, Midlife Laughs and Next Acts. I'm your host, Tabatha Jones. And today, I'm excited to announce my next act, one I've been hinting at for a while. I am officially your Corporate Escape Sherpa, and my mission is to help you map your bold next act beyond corporate life.
You might be wondering Tabatha. Why Sherpa? Well, friends, thanks for asking. In mountaineering, Sherpas guide climbers up treacherous peaks. They help carry the heavy loads, chart the safest routes, and basically save you from falling into sinkholes. And that's exactly what I want to do for you. Guide you up that mountain of entrepreneurship so you don't have to figure out every twist and turn on your own.
Giving you that support that you need. Of a trusted person who's been there before you by the end of today's episode, you'll know why I'm embracing this new role, the lessons I've learned on my own entrepreneurial journey, including some very expensive mistakes and how I'll help you avoid the pitfalls so many corporate women face when transitioning out of the corporate world.
I've got a super helpful free guide just for you. So let's do this. Let's start with why I'm making this transition. You know, my story goes back to 2017, when I was still very entrenched in corporate life. I was thriving. I loved my job, actually. But I was also feeling this pull towards something more. I began building my business, quietly on the side.
I say quietly on the side with legal approval. I had to sign a contract to make sure I wasn't competing or doing anything shady. Um, but fairly quietly on the side, dipping my toes into that coaching, uh, coaching and consulting business and really just learning everything I could. I hired a business coach taking as much action as I could.
Whenever I had a little spare time, sometimes that spare time was a 15 minute. Allotment. Sometimes it was early in the morning on a Saturday and or Sunday, so I understand there's not a lot of free time, but there absolutely is time to make it happen when you're excited and you make it a priority. If we fast forward to 2021.
That's when I finally left corporate for good and started my coaching journey full time. And let me tell you, those four years gave me so much breathing room to test my ideas, to save up financially, get really clear on what I wanted in my life and who I really wanted to work with. There was no drama or excitement when I walked out, you know, I just steadily climbed toward that exit door, just month after month, doing all the things.
Until I was ready. And during that time, I realized something crucial. And when I say during that time, really over the last two years, I've learned something really crucial. A lot of midlife corporate women want to plan that next act, their escape plan, but they're terrified. It's scary thinking about losing that steady paycheck or losing 20, 30, 40 years.
That you've committed to this company, they are terrified of getting bad guidance or, Oh my gosh, what if I fail? And over the past probably eight to 10 months, as I was continuing to do my career advancement and job search coaching, which I love and will always do. I started to realize I was being pulled in a slightly different direction.
I was being pulled toward helping women chart their escape plan. I realized when I kind of looked up and started looking at the women around me and realized how many entrepreneurs in my area had become friends and were asking me for support. They were asking me for how did you do this? Or do you have any ideas?
Or they would share a business problem and I would help them solve it. A little vanilla ice cream. I've got a problem. I solve it. Okay, it's out. We can keep going. But what I realized is that I was. I was really spending a lot of time there, but I loved it. It felt so good. And then as I was having conversations with various women and making new connections at events and in networking groups, I was hearing, I want to do what you did, but I'm so scared.
And, you know, I would tell these ladies, you know, it wasn't easy. It hasn't been easy. There's a lot of difference. There are a lot of differences between corporate life and entrepreneurs life. And it can get a little lonely. You can feel a little scared. Sometimes things. Fail. They don't always go as you plan.
And you know, you have to be able to use your resilience and stay agile and make adjustments. All things that you learn in corporate, things that will help you succeed as an entrepreneur. You just have to get brave and start building. You don't have to leave immediately. It's not one or the other. You can have both for a period of time until you decide that you want to do something different.
Before I go too much deeper into my own journey, I thought I'd share a little bit about the Sherpa analogy. And, you know, it's a fun name and I kind of waffled between Sherpa and Navigator. I am trying to be a little bit less corporate. I'm trying to loosen up just a little bit, just based on feedback from my friends who are like, You need to be fun again.
You're way too serious lately and I am fun. I'm a bit of a smartass and I love laughing. So we're working on it. But anyway, I realized Sherpa was not only more fun, but it also really was a great analogy. So if you think about climbing Mount Everest alone, you may be carrying gear that you don't know how to use.
It's heavy. You don't know which trails lead to danger or which trail you really should be on. The altitude messes with your head. And that's what leaving corporate for entrepreneurship can feel like. It's a completely brand new environment. It'll feel like the air is thinner. The terrain is definitely going to feel rougher some days and you risk making some costly mistakes if you don't have someone there to help guide you.
As your personal corporate escape Sherpa, I have made that climb. I've tested the path. I've checked all the bumpy spots. I know the shortcuts that can save you time and money and energy and frustration. Uh, I have spent so much money on programs that just weren't right for me. Programs that didn't really understand the nuanced world of a midlife woman coming with decades of corporate experience and corporate, uh, I want to say brainwashing because it's not really the word, but just, it's part of you.
It's ingrained in you. It's part of your DNA after that long. And I don't really understand that. It's very different stepping into entrepreneurship after you've been doing something for, you know, 20, 30 plus years than it is when you wake up at 25 and decide to be an Instagram influencer and go do your thing.
And you never have any fear or worry because you don't know anything different. If you've spent, you know, that decades in corporate. Leadership and all of that. A lot of the strategies that you have and a lot of your experience and skills is going to help you do amazing things and succeed. Sometimes it can get in your way.
So if I can show you how to bring that boardroom expertise into your new business and skip all the other stuff that leads to mistakes and slow growth, then I'll have done my job as your Sherpa.
Now, let me share some lessons from my own climb, um, some lessons that will be rolled into my coaching program. Um, I'm going to host a workshop soon and, uh, all that great stuff, but basically everything that I'll be doing as your corporate escape Sherpa. Um, so one, the first lesson is start early and start smart.
Again, I started my site. My business as a side business in 2017 and by the time 2021 hit, I was ready to just wave goodbye with confidence and you know, that four years of building a runway, let me try a new offers, let me get that up all different ways in my personal life and set up a safety net was really helpful and saved me from a lot of stress.
The key here is don't wait for the perfect moment. There's never a perfect moment. Start now. Even if it's just 15 minutes a day. Even if it's something as small as sending me a DM and asking a question. Do something. Start early and start smart. The second lesson I would say is financial preparedness.
Let's be real. We've made a lot of good money in our careers. You can't ignore that. So start now by investing, or sorry, by cutting back on maybe some luxuries. I am a White House black market addict. I would reach my status level usually by the end of January, or sorry, by the beginning. No, not true. End of January.
Oh my gosh, my brain blinked. I would reach status by the end of January every year. It's embarrassing. When I lost my status in 2020, I almost cried. But what I realized is Cutting back on those shopping runs gave me so much money that I could just put into either a side account to use for investing in my business.
Or I could pay down bills that might then cause stress if I were to leave my corporate job. Um, so there's so many things you need to look at from a financial preparedness. Start small, look at things, look at, um, uh, subscriptions that you may have. I was paying for Sirius XM for, you know, a year into the pandemic before I realized I don't even drive my car hardly anymore.
So start looking at that. Subscriptions get you. They are definitely there. They're on auto pay. And if we don't look at them, that's hundreds of dollars a year that you could be putting toward either another bill or putting into that, that safety net account so that you have money to invest in your own business.
The next lesson, so lesson three, is about investing in the right programs. I have invested money in some incredible programs. I have connections that I trust to refer people to, and I will continue to refer people to them because they are all out experts at things like sales. I have an expert in technology and automation, an expert at websites.
Which side note, you don't need a website to start a business. We can do that later. Um, I have the experts that can help you. I invested in some of the best programs. They were life changing. They truly helped me launch and grow faster, but I also wasted money on programs that didn't understand my corporate background and, you know, a little bit of that toxic corporate life that kind of comes with you is, you know, Oh, It's 27.
Let me just buy that. It'll take care of it. But that 27 thing took the 27, but that whatever you downloaded is just sitting in a file that you've never touched. You could be 27 to death. I also invested in a sales program early on thinking it was what I needed. Uh, only to learn that it was a very millennial bro sales tactic, high pressure.
Program that did not align with my authentic self and who I am as a person. That was a huge investment, and it's one I regret. And I want to make sure that as you're investing in programs, that you're very careful and very strategic. There are a lot of shiny objects out there. There are a lot of programs that will lean on your pain points.
So you might be feeling really stressed or like you're going to fail. They will hear that they will lean on that. And the next thing you know, you will be investing 10, 15, 000 in something that is not going to get you where you need to go. So I want you to be very careful about investing in programs and.
You know, again, you're more than welcome to reach out to me as part of my program. I will have resources for you that I know get the corporate woman and can absolutely help guide you correctly. Lesson four for me was about embracing the pivot. So in the four years of, you know, starting my business, I pivoted multiple times, even in the last four years.
Now almost I have pivoted. Some of those things that I worked on, they, they just flopped. They didn't feel good. They were very stressful. Um, it was a lot of work for a little return. So each of those things I learned from though, took me closer to getting to my zone of genius. And, you know, it's okay to make changes in corporate, you've got to have so many people sign off and we've already invested in resources and blah, blah, blah.
In entrepreneurship, it's a little different. You're able to be agile and move a little quicker. You don't want to pivot too many times. But you absolutely need to make sure that you're still feeling aligned with the work that you're doing, and you will learn a lot in those early years. So, you know, really, I find it so interesting.
I mean, I've published a book. I've done so many things. I've helped women advance their careers. I've helped women and a few lucky men find new jobs. All the good things, right? But once I really leaned in over the last few months and started thinking, man, what is it? That sort of genius became really clear.
And I knew that I could not not make this pivot into helping corporate women escape their cubicles and start climbing their own mountain. So those are four just really quick, simple lessons that I learned that have helped me develop this new program and new plan, and I really look forward to diving deeper into it in the coming weeks and months.
And sharing more with you. So with all that in mind, um, the coaching program, it will be launching soon, but, um, in advance of that, we're definitely going to get this free resource made available to you. It's your corporate escape plan, Matthew bold next act. It's a free guide, a great checklist to just help you make sure that you're thinking of all the things and you're getting excited as you're starting to build momentum.
And, you know, as we get closer to this coaching program, you know, just bear in mind, it's Really designed for women who've spent decades in corporate, who are going to have a big identity shift as they're making this change, who are excited, but also really feeling that fear. I understand it. I've been there.
I get the demands. I understand your schedule, your mindset, how that imposter syndrome can really come into play, uh, the fear. All of that. This program is all about transforming your executive skills into entrepreneurial gold so you're not throwing money at everything hoping for that fix. We've got a program that's absolutely going to fit who you are and how you grow.
So, um, we're also going to dive into your exit strategy plan, um, and just all kinds of great things. It's going to be such a game changer. I can't wait to share the full detail. Now, in the corporate escape plan map, your bold next act guide, uh, one of the tips that you'll see in there on your checklist is about progress over perfection.
And I've given you this one, kind of throwing it to you just to start thinking about. So write this down, commit to just one small action every day. Whether it's researching a business idea, sending a networking message, learning a new skill, sending me a question, every little step adds up. So, spend time thinking about this.
If it's on your mind, Let's start making progress today. There's nothing in your way except for you. And again, I know the calendar is crazy. I know, but you can find 15 minutes. Uh, I might've shared this. I feel like I did on maybe the last podcast episode. January 1st, I took Candy Crush off of my cell phone.
I have taken things out of my life that get in my way and slow me down. That was the last one. Hold on. The last fold over, it's gone. So look at your phone. Is there something on your phone that you're doing at night or on a tablet or something after your kids go to bed that you can just cut out 15 minutes of that thing and start working toward that bigger, brighter, bolder future?
So if that tip sounded fun, you'll get the full story and the full checklist in my free guide. Again, it's called your Corporate Escape Plan, Map Your Bold Next Act. It is going to give you some great action items and examples, as well as journal prompts. Things that can really help you start taking a step forward and building that excitement and momentum.
And, uh, looking forward to helping you just map out that path so you can get out of that office and into the next thing. Now that said, I am also excited to make one more announcement, I think it's my last one, um, that I'm going to be bringing on new guests starting in February. I know I promised, I've been teasing it.
I have definitely got a great list of guests signed up to start recording new episodes with me. We're going to have some fun interviews. Um, these individuals are all over the place. Um, I've got people, you know, in the health and wellness space. Um, I think somebody just reached out to me. She's in the comedy space, which is kind of fun, but all kinds of midlife goodness, that's going to be coming our way.
And I think you're really going to enjoy it. So be sure to share this podcast with your friends, give us a five star rating on Apple podcasts so others can find us. And if you or someone, you know, has a story that you want to share, let me know. I always share my email in the show notes. I'd love to connect with you and see how we could make a great episode.
All right, so quick recap. I'm now your corporate escape Sherpa, and I'm dedicated to helping you map out your bold next act. I've learned the hard way and the easy way, so I can help you with which coaches, programs, and strategies will truly accelerate your climb and get you where you want to be. Don't forget to download your corporate escape plan, map your bold next act.
The guide to help you get started on planning your own escape route. And above all, please remember, you don't have to climb this mountain alone. That's why I'm here to lighten your load, show you that smoother trails are out there and help you skip the crevices that can cost you thousands of dollars and months of frustration.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Again, if you found this helpful, be sure to share it with a friend who might be standing at that corporate crossroads. And don't forget to leave us that five star review so we can reach even more women who are ready to start mapping out their bold next act, or who maybe just want to have a little bit more Gen X fun.
I'm Tabatha Jones, your corporate escape Sherpa, helping you map bold next acts beyond corporate life. Until next time, stay fierce, stay focused, and stay you.
