Have you ever wanted to own your own business? Not sure if it is right for you or maybe you just need that extra level of motivation to make it happen?
Business owner and author Phil Hopper recognised that these are the questions often asked by those wishing to step out on their own but cannot quite get themselves to leave the comfort of the employee/employer relationship.
As a result Mr Hopper has written a book titled 'Quit Your Job, Own a Business' - The Journey from Employee to Business Owner, a step by step guide to helping those realise their dreams of becoming successful business owners.
We sat down with the author to ask him a few questions about the motivation behind the book and how he himself became a business owner.
AB: How did you, yourself become a business owner?
PH: Like a lot of people I finished high school, went to uni and started life as a young enthusiastic graduate working away in the corporate world. After some success I found myself becoming more jaded with corporate life wondering if there was something more? Would I be better off trying my hand at running a business?
Eventually I mustered enough confidence to give it a go and along with a former boss of mine we went off and founded a startup. An innovative Fintech we launched about 2 months before the GFC and ran out of money about 9 months later.
So back I went into the corporate world but despite some great opportunities I constantly found myself thinking about having another go. This time rather than go through the bare knuckle rollercoaster ride of a startup I went down the path of investing in an existing business.
So I have made the journey from being an employee to becoming the owner of a business twice!
AB: Why did you become a business owner?
PH: I guess when you really get down to the whys of it all, there were a few key drivers for me to become a business owner (not that I was 100% aware of them at the time):
AB: What made you decide to write a book on How to Become a Business Owner?
PH: First and foremost I remember the doubt and indecision I had about whether or not I should leave a comfortable (well paid) job to "risk" owning my own business. As an avid reader if there had been a book around that helped explain what is involved I would have gobbled it up. So having been through that process (twice) I realised that there was a lot that others could learn from my experience.
Secondly having experienced the sense of satisfaction and increase in wealth from owning a business I wanted to help people know what they are really getting into and whether this was a viable choice for them to pursue.
AB: What is your number one piece of advice for someone wishing to become a business owner?
PH: There isn't just one piece of advice but if you had to focus on something it would be that anyone can own their own business and make it successful if they are prepared to give it a go and put a lot of hard work and effort into it.
Mr Hopper's book is available at Dymocks and Abbey's bookstores or on Amazon via this link.