When I quit my job in July of last year, I just simply quit. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know I was going to open my own business. I had simply had enough of … well… everything.

Luckily, I suppose, my former boss valued me enough to ask that I stay on for six or so weeks so we could transition me out. Less than a week later, the idea for Avenue Z Writing Solutions was born, and I was staying up all night working to start my own business.

My Gosh, people… there are better ways to do things! I jumped off the cliff first — then I looked around for what I could use as a parachute. This is not the natural order of things, and here’s how I would do things if I had been on better medication at the time:

1. Milk your insurance for all it’s worth
   I had vision, dental and a low deductible for medical. And what did I do? Nothing! I was too busy trying to come up with a logo to make a dentist appointment. The other day I made myself go to the eye doctor, and the total bill for new glasses, new contacts and full exam was $527. I probably could have saved at least half that by using the program.
2. Write a business plan
   No, really. They’re important. Really important. They would have helped me decide what type of writing I should have focused on from the beginning. I do very well in certain arenas, but most of my early marketing efforts were in every arena, so I wasted money and time.
3. Have some money in the bank
   I was very, very, very fortunate that my former sales job continued to provide commissions for several months after I left the position. Most of my early days were spent trying to come up with marketing programs and trying to figure out how to not hate cold calling (never got over that). But the money tied me over for a while
4. Pay your bills down before you quit
   As you prep to leave, make every effort in the universe to shrink your debt. Again, the commissions helped immensely, and beyond that, I created a strict budget. And then I made it even more strict. I learned how to make do on a monthly budget that I never thought was possible.
5. Stay up every night to prepare
   Do your homework before you write your letter of resignation. Work on your website until midnight. Start scoping out sales for office supplies while you’re shopping for groceries. Figure out where you’re going to get software during your lunch break. Find a great place to make business cards.

There you go. This is my “do as I should have done” list. I wish you better sense than I have…