AP 1104: When is the Right Time to Transition from Your Full Time 9-5 Job?

AP 1104: When is the Right Time to Transition from Your Full Time 9-5 Job?

Announcer: Ask Pat. Askpat.com. Dot com. Ask Pat. Dot com.

Pat Flynn: What's up everybody? Pat Flynn here. Welcome to episode 1104 of AskPat 2.0. You're about to listen to a coaching call between myself and an entrepreneur just like you. Today we're speaking with Jessica Rosario who has a consulting business. She also has a nonprofit, and a nine to five job as well. We discussed the balancing of all of those things and where we end up is pretty amazing, so I hope that you look forward to this and you get a lot of inspiration.

Pat: Coming out of this, Jessica has a plan. She also is excited. I hope you can get excited too. So sit back, relax. Let's see how we can manage all this stuff that's happening and where Jessica can go next. This is, again, Jessica Rosario. You can check her out at jessrosario.com. Here she is. Hey Jessica, welcome to AskPat 2.0. Thanks so much for being here today.

Jessica Rosario: Thank you so much for having me.

Pat: This will be a lot of fun. If you don't mind, would you mind sharing with us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

Jessica: Absolutely. My name is Jessica Rosario. I actually work a full time job and started a nonprofit organization a few years back. Was going through life and was looking for some solutions that I couldn't find, so I created my own.

Jessica: In that process I actually started another LLC organization with my husband and stumbled upon coaching and consulting. So I've just been on a roll all along. I'm just trying to figure things out on how to balance the career and the things that I love to do so that I can eventually leave the nine to five and then just focus on my passions.

Pat: I love it. What is it that you your husband coach and consult about?

Jessica: I'm the one that does the coaching and consulting. Basically it's business consulting. The way that started was when I started doing the nonprofit, I truly didn't know what I was doing. I joined a couple of masterminds here and there, and I felt like I was the one giving everyone advice on how to move forward with their business, what next steps they needed to do, and doing research based on the state and the requirements. That's how that started.

Jessica: It took me a while to really—because I had been doing this in my career all these years, but not necessarily doing it for myself—so it took me a while to even just put myself out there and realize that this is a passion of mine to be able to help people follow their passions and just be able to execute on some of their ideas.

Jessica: It's something that I love to do, but I guess that that is the purpose of this call. I feel like I want to be able to continue to grow that, because I have been able to start a nonprofit on my own with my husband. We did a janitorial cleaning service that went from nothing, it's only been a year, and we're grossing over $105,000. We did that on our own. So I'm looking into taking some of my skills and just pursuing that mainly. Just helping others start their business. Just take their ideas from ideas to their actual dream career.

Pat: That's really cool, Jessica. First of all, congratulations to you and your husband and what you're doing. I think that's really great. May I ask you, with the passion that you have, and I can feel it, to help others, is there a specific kind of business, or kind of person, or target market that you have that you want to offer your advice to? Or is it just for anybody?

Jessica: Well, when I was narrowing down my ideal client, I started to look at age demographics and, that kind of thing. I realized it's more to I want to say someone that's either late 20s, even early 50s. I had a client one time who was 55. But the niche is more on the nonprofit side. These are people that want to start something. They have the idea. They want to help other people. But don't even know how to even file for a 501c3, or don't know what their options are, how to fundraise and that kind of stuff.

Jessica: The majority are women, although I do currently have a client who is a male. He is also a consultant. No, he's a life coach rather. He's a life coach right now. So, I have different demographics, but if I was to say, I would say it would be women in the nonprofit sector.

Pat: Yeah. Even from my perspective, based on what you said, it's less about the gender and age, but it's more about you're helping people start the nonprofit.

Jessica: Correct.

Pat: I think that's a huge skill. I know you're doing this. You're owning it. That's what you're presenting. The reason that's important, you probably know this, is that it's not just important for you for reaching out to people, "Hey, if you need a nonprofit, I'm your girl." It's if somebody needs help with a nonprofit, they are looking for a person just like you.

Pat: Because I was a little bit worried when you said, "I want to help people with their business." That could be anybody. That could be a person doing physical fitness and they want to build a $200 million gym. Or it could be a person doing physical fitness and they want to just do it client-based at home. That's a completely different thing.

Pat: You have a specific skillset that is very needed and very worthwhile to learn from. Because everybody who's creating a nonprofit is often doing it for very, very well worthwhile reasons. There's a lot of that involved in here as well. It's not just about the money, it's about who you're helping as well along top that. Kudos to you for owning that and doing that. Along those lines, what's on your mind? What can I help you with?

Jessica: I want to be able to figure out how to grow my consulting business. I feel like I can replace my income if I just focus on that. Then that way, I'm able to give back to the community through my nonprofit and do the things that I love to do.

Jessica: I'm struggling with walking away from a six figure job. I have a career in banking for 20 years. 20 plus years, actually. I've moved my way up in the corporate ladder. It's that safety and security that I'm having trouble walking away from, even though I know that I make more an hour in the consulting side than in the actual corporate world.

Pat: You got a good thing. It's going to be hard to walk away from that.

Jessica: Right. That's my fear. But then I also... Having a great job, that also comes with a huge amount of responsibility. I always call it those golden handcuffs, where you don't have a choice. I can't make up my own time. I don't have a lot of autonomy because I still report to someone else.

Jessica: I was able to apply some of that structure, because I'm very strategic. I focus on accountability with my clients. So when it comes to that, I'm great at it when I'm telling somebody else to do it. But I feel like when it comes to my consulting, it's my job always comes first, and my consulting is on the side. I'll see clients here and there, but how can I focus on that and make that my priority so that I can build it to a point where I can just walk away?

Pat: Yeah. This is tough, and this is why I'm so thankful I was laid off because honestly I would still be doing architecture if I didn't. My question to you is, to me this isn't a, what strategy do you need. I think internally in your gut you know what needs to happen. You need to focus on your consulting in order for it to grow. You even just said that.

Pat: What we're talking about here is more of a mental thing. It's these golden handcuffs like you talked about. One thing I love to do in these situations is think about the future, depending on what decisions you make now, almost like painting a picture of what might happen.

Pat: How would you feel 10 years from now if, knowing where you want to go, you just stuck with banking? You had that secure job, your income was continuing to grow steadily, but all the things you said about it, how would you feel after 10 years if you didn't take action?

Jessica: Well, I will tell you Pat, that my goal is to walk away in 2020.

Pat: So you'd be like, "I'm nine years late."

Jessica: Yes. In 10 years, I just don't see myself doing it. I know that there is a possibility that I'll make a lot less than six figures, but I'm willing to take that risk.

Jessica: Because I only have a couple of clients here and there, I guess my concern is what if those couple of clients walk away at one point. Then how do I focus on getting new clients? Because I feel like these clients that I've gotten have been more luck than anything else, because I haven't really attracted them through—I mean, I did a couple of things with Upwork and Fiverr, more like a freelancing-type of profile. Not necessarily that it was someone that I landed through my Facebook page, or my website, or anything like that.

Pat: I don't know. I always worry when people say that to themselves. I was just lucky. I don't think that's the case. Because you wouldn't be working with them if it was just random. You saw the opportunity. Yes, maybe you got started in a place that's not traditional with hiring these people, but you took action. You asked them to be a client. You are serving them. You're getting them results. That's real legit stuff. That's not luck. That's you and your skills. You will always have that with you moving forward. If not, there'll be even better. That's number one.

Pat: So, we're planning for 2020, which is great. I love that you have a date in mind already. When that time comes to do that, what other things are going in your head during that time that would make you feel comfortable and excited about moving forward into this new era of life?

Pat: Is it a income goal that you have? You had mentioned six figures a number of times. One question that I always have is would you not be happy if you didn't reach six figures? What would the number need to be in order for you? Because sometimes yes, six figures at a job is one thing, but people are more happy making half the amount working on their own. I'm just curious what that number might be, just so we can solidify that in your head. Because maybe that number is not what you might think it needs to be.

Jessica: It's funny because I was talking to my husband about this a couple of weeks ago. I said, "Even if I made half of that, I will be okay." He always tells me, "Whatever makes you happy." Now that's not always helpful.

Pat: So half even would... You're not just saying that, right? You calculated it out and you're like, "We'd be able to live. I would be my own boss. I'd have my own clients. I wouldn't be tied down to this business." Beyond the monetary thing, imagine, what else would this open up for you in your life, if you were to move into this space versus having the nine to five that you have? Beyond the money.

Jessica: Well, I have a nonprofit organization that I started in 2017 where my daughters... I have two teenage daughters and they were going through a really tough time. So when I started looking for resources for their age, because they were both in high school, there was no resources available for that age, for what I was looking for. They were looking for mentorship.

Jessica: When I didn't find it, I just said, I'm just going to create it. So I started my nonprofit organization, it's BLOSSOM of Central Florida, and what I would love to do is get that nonprofit to the next level. Right now what we do is we rent in local libraries and we do workshops with... We had a partnership with a local charter school just for a couple of months through the afterschool program. I want to be able to grow that to a level where I'm reaching more girls. It's more of the reward. It's not even monetary, Pat. Does that make sense?

Pat: Yeah. Absolutely. My question is, is the fact that you have this nine to five job holding you back from doing that?

Jessica: Yes. I feel that I spend so many hours at work, and sometimes by the time I get out, I'm just completely exhausted. I try my best to divide my time in between the things that I love to do. One thing I don't know if I mentioned was that I'm also in direct sales. I'm a leader in direct sales. So everything seems to be a priority. Then my nonprofit, that's usually a once a quarter type of workshop and that almost always takes third priority.

Jessica: But if I didn't have the nine to five with those hour restrictions, I would be able to focus more on that. Focus on fundraising and doing some other things. By making more money on fundraising, then I can probably hire people to help me with that nonprofit.

Pat: Yeah. You have direct sales capabilities. Do you not think you'd actually be able to get more clients if you needed them?

Jessica: With my direct sales, I know that I can.

Pat: Exactly. Right? You're ready. In my opinion. It might not be the right time to pull the trigger on it, but you're ready for this. Mentally, I feel very confident. The other thing about this is, worst case scenario, you remove yourself from the nine to five, things maybe don't work out, and you might be strapped for cash for a little bit. What's the worst thing that can happen?

Jessica: Go back to work for a nine to five. I'm pretty sure my resume is pretty marketable.

Pat: It's amazing. Even just what you told me. You'd probably be able to get hired somewhere else and make even more, to be honest. But all this just to say, you have the capability. Even if it were to fail, you at least were able to give it a shot versus 10 years from now just go, what if?? Yes, sure you had the steady job, but the truth is even if that were to fail, you can go back. That's what I think a lot of people who are listening to this might not even realize. They call it a leap, right? I'm taking the leap. But the problem with that analogy is you think about leaping, going down somewhere, and never being able to come back up.

Pat: It's more like a trial. I think you're fully capable of doing that. What I would recommend to maybe even make yourself feel even more comfortable with this transition is get to the point where you start having more conversations with potential clients. Meaning, you're starting now to dig that well, to build that relationship, with no other agenda other than to just get a feeler out there on who might need your services.

Pat: Because if you're starting to ask people when you need that, then it might be too late. You're going to dig your well now before you're thirsty. What that means is, figure out who's out there who may also need your services doing nonprofit stuff and how you can just get to know them, get on their radar, maybe even start building a wait list.

Pat: Because right now with the nine to five, you don't have the capability to maybe have more clients at this point. You're going to let people know, "Hey, I'm thinking about opening up more spots later." Having a wait list of people to work with you is probably something that's going to feel really good and help you feel like it's a little bit easier to transition as well, wouldn't it not?

Jessica: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think that's a great idea.

Pat: So, get there. Make those sales happen without even having to ask people to pay anything right now. I'm guessing you're going to have a line of people waiting to work with you. You're just going to be like, this is insane. Why am I going to work every day, when all these people need my help and they're willing to pay me?

Pat: It'll be even more clear. It could even happen before 2020. I just want to encourage you. You got some great things going. You're doing this amazing nonprofit stuff. You have all the skills. You can make it happen.

Jessica: Awesome. Thank you.

Pat: What else is going through your head right now?

Jessica: I would say systems like attraction marketing. I hear a lot of people talking about bots and funnels, that kind of thing to build leads. I actually just started some automation with my direct sales. I'm getting some leads through that. Literally, that is a week old. I haven't been fully immersed myself in that, but as I started doing it, I'm like, this is probably something I can apply on my coaching side as well.

Jessica: How do you not lose, someone like you, for example, how do you not lose that personal touch? Because I know a lot of people talk about automations, like email sequences and that kind of thing, and I sometimes feel like that stuff is impersonal.

Pat: Yeah, it can be impersonal, especially with how great a lot of these tools are. You can literally have an entire conversation and sell somebody something with ever not talking to them at all.

Pat: To me, I still feel like, especially in direct sales, there has to be some form of personalized interaction at some point. I think that's the key. At some point in the process, after perhaps a filtering process of understanding who these leads are and getting them to a point where you know they're warm, then that's when you can step in, or a team member can step in, and start offering a little bit of time and attention to them to have a conversation to close a sale.

Pat: It's similar to social media. Everybody's been automating social media. You can write all these posts ahead of time. They get scheduled out. That's great. But where's the social part of social now? It's just all pre-written.

Pat: So, I always go, I want to pre-write these things that are conversation starters, but eventually I'll come in and actually interact and reply to people, if they see that comment that I posted and interact with it first.

Pat: I would just do what you know how to do, which is imagine somebody on the other end who is a potential client, what their user experience is like. Then at what point would they either drop off or get bored, or do you think you should step in there. Then in terms of all the different things that you have in front of you that you could use all the tools, just pick one. You've likely found one already that you really liked that's working. Just deep dive into that.

Pat: There's going to be so many other, you'll hear it on my podcast, use this strategy, use this strategy, use this strategy. Just pick one and go. Own it. Have that be the way. Because that's going to make it so much clearer for you moving forward in terms of how people get in, where you insert yourself, and then how you close and then start working with those people.

Pat: I cannot wait to see what happens. Honestly, can we get on a call again in, I don't know, six months, or however long, to just check in on you see how things are going?

Jessica: Absolutely. I think that's one of the things. I think that at this point I feel like I need that accountability. So I would love that. That would be great.

Pat: We'll check in with you in 2020. I can't wait to hear the news. Good luck to you. Thank you so much. Where can people go, if you have a web property, where can people go to find out more about you right now?

Jessica: Absolutely. It's wjessrosario.com. That's J-E-S-S-R-O-S-A-R-I-O dot com, and they'll find links to my website, my social media, and whatnot.

Pat: A little bit more info on your nonprofit. I love that, and would love to give a shout out to that as well.

Jessica: Thank you, Pat. That's BLOSSOM of Central Florida. We focus on building teams through critical life skills, mentorship, and leadership. That's www.blossomfl.org. That's blossom, F as in Florida, L dot org.

Pat: You got it down. Jessica, thank you so much. I appreciate you. Good luck. We'll catch up with you soon.

Jessica: Thank you, Pat.

Pat: All right, I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Jessica Rosario. Again, you can find her, Jess Rosario, R-O-S-A-R-I-O. Then you can also check out her nonprofit blossomfl.org. Which is so amazing. I'm just so excited for you, Jessica, and everything that you have planned. The commitments that you're going to make. The dedication and the focus that's going to happen. Just how much everything is going to amplify as a result of that. So congratulations, keep up the great work.

Pat: I hope this is inspiring to those of you who are here at the beginning of the year in 2020, just asking yourself, where do you want to be by the end of this year? What are those big changes, those big decisions, that you know you need to make, that you can commit to? A lot of the things we talked about today are going to help you through that.

Pat: Let me know what you think. Just #askpat on Twitter or or the Instagram. Would love to see you on the new website as well. Have you checked out the new website? Let us know what you think about that too. It is a much, much better experience finding what you need and getting to the solution to help you with your business in all different kinds of ways. So check that out as well.

Pat: As always Team Flynn, you're amazing. Keep up the great work. Please subscribe if you haven't already, and, of course, Team Flynn for the win. Cheers.