Luke first came to me for career coaching in 2019. He had recently finished a term of employment, he had worked in marketing roles for several years. Luke had wanted to work for himself for several years, but the allure of a secure salary and the perceived certainty of employment always over-rode his real desire for a more free, flexible, and creative working lifestyle.

This time Luke said he was determined to take the leap to self-employment.

We started working on developing his business model, and Luke started to write a book. A couple of months into the programme, Luke was headhunted, and he was again lured back into employment by the promise of an interesting role and more money. He felt more secure.

It wasn’t long before Luke became unhappy again. Some people are not that well suited to be an employee being managed and directed by others, they need self-determination. Luke is one of them. He left his employment and returned to work on his business.

Today Luke is the founder of a successful, fast-growing digital marketing business called Leadin Success, which specialises in technology-driven solutions to help busy sales and business development professionals get in front of more of target customers and clients, more quickly,

This is a success story. But the journey from employment to self-employment is not for everyone. You need more than a geographical change; you need a mindset shift. Sometimes all you need is to find a new company and role that aligns more closely with your values. We all need a sense of purpose and meaning to feel fulfilled. Covid has helped to highlight this.