Many of us recall childhoods peppered with Sunday nights overcome with dread. As pangs of anxiety would set in as the weekend wound down, we lamented the inevitable start of another pressure-filled week of school. Sadly, the same doom and gloom plagues adults who are miserable at work. Are you still all too familiar with the Sunday night blues because you are unhappy in your current job? 

It might sound difficult to believe, but some start each week - even each day - actually looking forward to going to work! Let’s face it, though, and admit that this is not the reality for most of us. It’s not uncommon for our spouse, family members or friends to complain to us about what they are lacking at work, whether it’s fulfillment, money, free time or opportunities to advance. 

What many unsatisfied employees dream about is becoming their own boss, which means starting their own business. 

“More and more people are separating themselves from corporate America and going into a business,” explained Alesia Visconti, CEO of FranServe, Inc., the world’s largest franchise consulting organization. “This has been trending for years. Corporate America doesn’t provide the stability it once did nor offer the longevity it used to.” 

Further exacerbating the situation was the onset of the pandemic, which enabled many people to work from home for the first time and compelled them to realize they did not want to return to their workplace. “If there's a silver lining in that horrible experience, it was that it gave people a wake-up call to make choices that aligned with their family values and future aspirations,” explained Visconti.

Starting your own business sounds like a great plan - until reality sets in and hard questions abound. How do I get started when I have never owned a business before? What kind of business should I open? How much money will I need? How can I ensure it will be a success when businesses fail all the time? Such daunting questions lead to negative self-talk. 

“Most people's dream is to be in business for themselves, but the idea of launching a business alone can be terrifying,” Visconti said.

What was an exciting dream just moments earlier suddenly transforms into an idea so intimidating that it can paralyze aspiring entrepreneurs from moving forward. 

The next thing they know, it’s Sunday night again, and they’re stuck in the same old cycle. 

The good news, however, is that career bliss can be ours - if we know how to find it.