After 20 years in a corporate and government career, I traded in security and income for entrepreneurship. I recently left my Federal job to become a small business owner offering leadership/career coaching, training, and consulting. And oh, what a trip it has been.

This was a difficult decision for me to make and execute, despite the planning that went into it. I knew how much security I was trading, and the lifestyle it afforded me. And yet, the intangible benefits and rewards won out over the monetary ones.

During the process, I’ve looked to countless sources of other entrepreneurs to learn from their journeys. In “Birthing the Elephant” by Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman, the authors state: