If you’ve ever sat at your desk thinking, “I know I’m meant for more than this. I just don’t know how to make the leap,” this one’s for you.

This week on The Classy Career Girl Podcast I’m sharing the recording of my free masterclass, Employee to Entrepreneur, in two parts. Part 1 is out today and Part 2 comes out Thursday.

You can listen right here:

I didn’t quit first. I started first.

I was successful on paper. Nice salary. Nice promotions. The resume everyone said I should want. But another year went by and I was still in the same position, and something was off.

So in 2010 I started Classy Career Girl on the side, while I was still working full time. I had passion. What I didn’t have was a business: no business plan, no marketing plan, no sales funnel and no idea what my monthly cash flow needed to be. My blog never made me enough to quit my job.

On August 1, 2014, after maternity leave with my first daughter, I resigned to run Classy Career Girl full time. I didn’t wait until I had it all figured out. I started first.

Sound familiar?

These are the frustrations I hear from women who want out of their day job. I felt every one of them.

• Lots of ideas but no solid plan
• Fear of failure and self-doubt
• Feeling bored and stuck
• Not wanting to live with regret
• Knowing you have more to offer the world

The biggest mistake: doing the right steps in the wrong phase

Most women stall because they try to do everything at once. They build a website before they know who it’s for. They post on five platforms before they have an offer. Or they quit before the business can pay them.

It feels busy and overwhelming, and it doesn’t make money. The fix is simple: know your phase, and only do the steps for that phase.

The Employee to Entrepreneur Success Path

Here are the six phases I walk women through. The good news? Most women can build through Phase 3 while still at their day job.

• Phase 0: Founder. You have no idea where to start and it’s hard to see your future. Your steps: decide why your business will exist, create your 90-day plan and prepare your weekly to-do list.
• Phase 1: Designer. You’re motivated but unsure what to start, with too many ideas and not enough time. Your steps: block time on your calendar, name the strengths you want to use and identify the problem your business will solve.
• Phase 2: Planner. You know the business you want and you’re ready for a plan. Your steps: research your ideal client, create your business and marketing plan, pick ONE social platform and set up your offer and email list.
• Phase 3: Hustler. You’re selling something people want and figuring out how to balance your time. Your steps: share value every week, build a community around your expertise and create an annual launch calendar.
• Phase 4: Entrepreneur. Your income is close to supporting you full time. Your steps: create an evergreen sales sequence, set an advertising budget and start building your team and systems.
• Phase 5: Influencer. You’re growing your team and your impact. Your steps: focus on the scalable part of your business, add recurring revenue and know the numbers you need to scale.

Where to start if you’re a Founder

If you’re in Phase 0, you don’t need a website or a logo yet. You need two things: your why and a plan for the next 90 days. Once you have those, you’re ready to move on.

Here’s a question to get you started: what’s the ONE thing you would do in your ideal workday? Write it down. That answer tells you a lot about the business you want to build.

Coming Thursday in Part 2

In Part 2, I share the 5 signs of a strong business plan, why a simple digital product is the easiest first offer, 5 steps to your first sale in about 30 days and how to plan your next 90 days without burning out.

Want help figuring out which phase you’re in? Book a free strategy call with me at classycareergirl.com/apply.

You’ve got this.