Today, I am joined by Laurel Rutledge, an H.R. Strategist, and Career Transformation Expert. Like many entrepreneurs who come from corporate, Laurel reached a point where she just wasn’t herself anymore. She was tired, unhappy and in constant conflict between her value system and her corporate role. She was not present with her family, totally miserable and had put on 50 pounds. In short, she was no longer in alignment, fighting a corporate culture that she didn’t believe in and battling constant micro aggressions. But then Laurel realized she had a choice—and she chose herself.

Laurel explains what made her leave a very successful corporate career and launch into the deep sea of entrepreneurship. There are loads of tips and tricks that Laurel has learned on her adventure from corporate to entrepreneurship. Luckily, she shares the key three things that we need to know to have happiness and strength on our journey. Tune in as Laurel explains why she made the decision to become more visible, what it feels like to share our most intimate thoughts online, and the importance of staying intentional.

Lessons Learned from Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship really is a journey. But I always say, when you take the jump, it all just shows up for you. When you’re ready to be taught, the teacher appears. Here are some pivotal points Laurel shared with me that helped guide her success on that entrepreneurial journey.

Grace is so important. You must have grace for yourself. And understanding. We can either be our own best friend—or our worst critic. Which do you prefer?

The trauma of corporate culture is real, but you have a choice. Corporate is very different from entrepreneurship when it comes to tactics. On the surface, the language may be the same, but the way you show up, how you show up and what that means, is very different. For example, like Laurel, you may know all about HR, sales, marketing, infrastructure, budgeting. The list goes on. But in the context of entrepreneurship, you have to think differently. You have to be extremely agile and adaptable. And despite what you may already know from your corporate career, as a solopreneur, you are just that—solo (at first).

You’ve got to be okay with the fact that you’re not going to understand everything. And you have to be okay with asking questions—lots of them. Assume you know nothing. Get a coach, get a mentor—then listen, process and apply. When you give people permission to teach you something, it opens the door to new understanding. So find those experts who can help you, and become coachable.

Listen to the podcast here: