Slowly Transitioning from One Career to Another

I once had a client who was a CPA and enjoyed her work. While she wanted to continue as a CPA, she was also a very creative designer of beautiful high-end jewelry. She wanted to explore the possibilities of this new career but wasn’t sure how to make a living just as a jeweler.

We set up dual tracks for managing her career over the next five years. One had a goal to expand her work as a jeweler so she could do it full-time. The other competing goal was how to reduce the actual time she spent working as a CPA. Whatever the balance would be each year, she still had to make sure she had a stable income.

CPA: The key for Year One was to find a CPA job that didn’t require her to work crazy hours. I helped her get a job with a CPA firm that fostered a reasonable work-life balance. Plus, there was a natural seasonal component to her work, so she could think on a yearly, not a weekly, cycle.

JEWELER: She thought the best way to actually make money was to somehow build or connect to another business that could produce her beautiful designs. She set out to put together a business plan, beginning with a lot of research.

Many people have a side hustle – either by necessity or choice. Sometimes, it just pays the rent. But sometimes, it is more than that. Would you rather make jewelry or work on a company’s tax returns?

Actually – you can do both, so long you have a plan and a clear goal!