My mentor and business coach Allison Babb-Phillips wrote the following concerning leaving your job to start a business. Allison gives some great advice on having an exit strategy to help manage your anxiety and make the transition less stressful.

If you’re like me, when you think about quitting your job and being on your own, you get a few anxiety pangs. What if you fail? How much would it cost? Can I really do this? It’s all normal. I realized that a lot of that anxiety would have been reduced if I had a really clear picture of what my exit strategy would be.

I was working with my own coach when I created my exit strategy, but to be honest, my exit strategy was not as thorough as it could have been. So here are some tips to help you with that aspect of your transition.

Count up the costs: There are a few things you need to consider on the financial side of things. But don’t get too overwhelmed by that. The finances seem to the be the greatest fearfor most people and with good reason. But if you have a clear plan, you don’t have to worry needlessly.

Go ahead and start: A lot of people think about quitting then starting a new life as an entrepreneur. My own advice is start your business while you are employed. I started my first business while I was a manager and my income funded the start of my business. If your income cannot stretch that far, then starting while you work is a way to create additional income to move your business forward. There are SO many inexpensive ways to create an income from your business. Often people think far too narrowly about the possibilities. I was able to do start my business as a single parent working full time and working at both was not the impossible feat I was often led to believe it would be.

Plan your time: If you are committed to making the transition from employee to entrepreneur, you will need to also commit a certain amount of time per day/week/month to accomplishing that goal. That plan becomes part of your exit strategy. What you will accomplish in those hours is also a part of your exit strategy.

Get support: I repeat this often as it is so critical to your success as an entrepreneur. Get into a group of entrepreneurs or get a coach. Whatever you decide, part of your exit strategy must be to have some support to help you accomplish your entrepreneurial goals which often includes learning all there is to learn about business ownership.

Known as “America’s Paycheck Addiction Therapist”, Allison Babb is recognized as a leading authority on entrepreneurship for new or aspiring entrepreneurs. She teaches easy yet lucrative strategies for success in her proven 7-step Employee to Entrepreneur Blueprint(TM)

And now I’d like to offer you the FREE one-hour audio seminar for solo entrepreneurs on “How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business” at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com. From Allison Babb-Phillips, author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com.