Introduction

Leaving a steady corporate job and becoming a founder

can be a daunting and risky decision.

But, for many, it’s a path to personal and professional fulfillment, as well as the opportunity to make a positive impact on others.

In this blog post, I will share my personal journey from a corporate employee to founder, and finally, a business coach in Switzerland.

 I’ll discuss the challenges I faced, the lessons I learned along the way, and the keys to building a successful business and career. 

Maybe you are thinking of making a similar change or seeking inspiration. I hope my story can offer valuable insights and motivation for you.

Before becoming the founder : the Corporate life

I moved to Switzerland as an expert in supply chain management to work in a corporate job in the construction industry.

I started in an entry level position a few weeks after receiving my master degree in supply chain management.

My job title and my education seemed like a perfect match. I was an immigrant student and my job made it possible for me to receive a resident permit to stay in Switzerland.  

All I wanted was to have a well paying job and a possibility to stay in Europe as going back to my troubled home country Iran was not an option for me. Entrepreneurship as fascinating as it seemed was not even legal a possible option for me.

I was ambitious and wanted more from my career. So I decided to forget about my entrepreneurial dreams and focus on my job. I was new in the country and needed to learn the local language as fast as possible.

Being the CEO and founder of a business  was a farfetched dream those days. 

So I did everything in my power to kill that nonesens dream.

Employee life : Quiet quitting , burnout and dissatisfaction 

I wasn’t always unhappy as an employee. I actually enjoyed my jobs in the early years. Those days I wasn’t fully aware of my deep rooted core values autonomy, freedom and authenticity. 

I see the same phenomenon repeating with my clients these days: you don’t become aware of your core values until you see them challenged!

The culture of my work place was in contradiction with my values.I was always unhappy and I could not find out why. My colleagues were nice, my salary seemed fair and my job and my education were related. The company was an established business who did well even during the economic crisis. Job security seemed like a big deal those days.

One year after I was promoted to my dream position I faced a serious health challenge. A surgical operation led to complexities that lead to further complications. A mentally and physically painful journey that took 3 years.

Those years were so challenging that I still don’t feel ready to talk about it. The worst part was the lack of support in my workplace. My body could not handle the pressure of constant travels. I was in pain all the time and found it difficult to perform as I used to in my early days.

My health was deteriorating and I was preparing myself for a future of disability and chronic pain. Then suddenly I lost my ability to sleep. 

Healing : Deep inner work and developing self awareness 

Depression, pain , being tired all the time and trying to pretend everything is normal was the theme of my life those days. 

 Everyone has a by default subconscious program or survival mechanism that is adopted in early childhood. They protect us in our early days but don’t serve us in our adult life. They are one of the main saboteurs of our success and growth. 

My default program was being a hyper achiever who also wants to be strong all the time. So I kept suppressing my emotions, ran away from them and saw my worth in achieving. 

My health challenge was putting my quest of achieving on hold and I was starting to feel less and less worthy everyday. Who was I without a nice title, a well paying job? Was I a loser now? The little monkey voice in my head was the dominant voice. 

I was visiting therapists and learning more about myself. My deepest and most painful inner work was happening those days. It was painful, annoying and at times disturbing. But it was necessary. 

I learned to see the world differently. I was waking up to who I was and I clearly wasn’t supposed to be where I was. My purpose and my vision, once a blurry image, was now visible with higher resolution.

I needed to get out.

A new chapter: countless failed side-businesses

Now that I knew what brings joy into my life I needed to do something about it. Quitting my job without a plan was not an option for me. So I started to experiment with a number of business ideas in my free time to see what my future would look like as an entrepreneur. 

Suddenly I had something to look forward to. 

But living a double life as an employee in the day and secret side hustler in the evening was tiring.

I was enrolled in a demanding online business program that left me with little time to relax. Although I had regained my health, my overachieving mindset was in full swing!

I tried to negotiate working part time or getting time off from work which didn’t work in the under-resourced team. If I had those options I wouldn’t have quit my job but I arrived at a point that I had to choose. 

Finding courage as a business founder

Handing over my resignation letter was one of the most difficult decisions I had to make in my adult life. That’s a story for another time.

Modern workplaces have changed significantly since my time.

Wth post-pandemic options for remote work and a greater focus on employee wellbeing and individual values.

If I had the option I probably would have quit only when my side business was making enough money to replace my income. But I didn’t have the knowledge I have today. So I collected all the courage I had in my whole being, and quit before I was ready. 

What brought that courage to life?

Believing that I have the inner resources to succeed: that I might fail but I will find a way and succeed. I just had to believe in myself and step into the unknown. 

Once I had that courage everything happened so quickly.

Believing that I have the inner resources to succeed: that I might fail but I will find a way and succeed. I just had to believe in myself and step into the unknown. 

Once I had that courage everything happened so quickly.

I had the honour of being interview by an amazing Swiss writer (and my favourite podcaster) Esther Bürki. Esther is a best selling author, life coach and creative writing mentor.

She is so kind and her positive vibe and comforting presence made me share my story like I was just having coffee with her. If you want to hear a raw, honest story with all the details then you must listen to this episode.

My first failed launch

In my corporate job I had the experience of getting involved in many product launches. But the context of “launch” in corporate environments is totally different from one in a low budget small online business. Everything I knew about bringing a product to market was useless. 

Being a stubborn Do- It-Yourself  and “ know it all “business owner, I wasn’t comfortable with asking for help. 

I struggled to find a business mentor who could understand my unique challenges. My network of friends and colleagues was mostly corporate people who didn’t get my challenges either. It took me nearly a year to get connected with like minded founders and business owners who could guide me in the right direction. 

I joined a membership for female entrepreneurs. Then I hired ecommerce mentors, content creators, brand strategists.

I consulted with different business advisors.

Again I was seeing the world in a different light. 

I experimented with new solutions, failed and failed again until I found what worked for me and my business. Suddenly the universe was on my side. My brand was growing a loyal customer base.I was starting to make a name and being recognized for my story. 

..and then pandemic happened

Becoming a Better Business founder thanks to the pandemic

My fashion business was already established as an online business when the pandemic hit. The factory in Como in northern Italy that was making my silk scarves was one of the first places that got shut down. Luckily I had received my last batch of products so I could sell, but soon It became difficult to ship the orders outside Switzerland. 

During that time, the duration of the lockdown was uncertain.

But my intuition indicated that a return to normalcy wasn’t imminent.

And so I had to pivot : I created digital products and printables. I created planners. 

I’ve always been interested in productivity hacks.

I have learned a lot about time management and productivity from years of working in logistics and production environments. As a result, I started sharing my knowledge and helping others.

With many individuals shifting their businesses online and exploring ways to generate income through their creativity, I began receiving many requests from people who wanted my business advice and insights.

How did I become a business coach

This whole “picking my brain” thing got out of control!

There was hardly a day without one or two requests. It was taking a lot of my time and I was enjoying it way more than my real job, the fashion business. 

In March 2021, I launched a four-week live group training program. It was aimed at assisting artists and creative business owners in launching and selling “profitable artistic products.”

This time I didn’t repeat my old mistakes: I invested in a mentoring program myself and followed a tried & tested process.

70 artists, fashion designers and creatives joined my course.

The triumph of this course marked the beginning of my career as a business coach in Switzerland.

To refine my skills as a leadership coach, I invested in my training.

I joined an accredited coach training program and coached clients from diverse backgrounds.

In the process, I discovered my true passion and purpose: to help employees become entrepreneurs by growing a side business. 

The joy I get from my work is indescribable. I never imagined I could experience this level of satisfaction in my career ever. I owe all that to that courage I gained on a rainy November day when I handed in my resignation letter.

I have shared more details about my journey from Consultant/ trainer to business and mindset coach on “The Coaching Hub” podcast by the amazing Ruth Kudzi ,the founder of Optimus coach academy where I did my coach training.

Ruth is one of those inspirational women in my life and of course an amazing mentor of mine. I feel so honoured to have been on her podcast.

Becoming my own boss : the learnings

Entrepreneurship is not a linear journey. There is no guarantee that you will succeed. Unlike what you might think you don’t need talent to succeed: You need perseverance and resilience.

You also need to develop a growth mindset that enables you to experiment and take risks. 

As an entrepreneur you need to be comfortable with learning new things and never expect anyone to have all the answers for you. 

Not even your mentor that you could hardly afford but decided to invest in.

What works for others may not work for you:

You can only succeed when you create your own unique recipe to success that is aligned with your personality and lifestyle. 

And the buck stops with you: you have to learn to be in charge.

I am still learning and experimenting. 

I don’t have all the answers, but I am finally convinced that I can rely on myself and my ability to find a solution. 

Final words : Are you thinking of turning into a business founder?

Ready to take the leap?

Whether you’re looking to start a side business or scale an existing one, I can help you develop a strategic plan to achieve your goals.

I don’t believe that quitting your 9-5 corporate job to become self-employed full-time is the only path to success. 

I also don’t want you to make all the mistakes I made to succeed.

Like wasting time and money on things that don’t bring results. And not getting help early enough.

It took me forever to arrive where I am today and I want you to succeed much quicker than I did. 

I am on a mission to make entrepreneurship simple and accessible for everyone:

especially for busy corporate employees who want to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams without sacrificing their career success.

Don’t let fear and uncertainty hold you back any longer. Apply for a complementary 60 min roadmap session with me today and discover how I can help you transform your business and career. Let’s turn your dreams into reality togethe