Escape from Cubicle Nation: Phase One 3 Steps to break through the fear of leaving your corporate job so you can get on the road to starting your own business A boost-in-your-arm audio program you can listen to while pretending to work! Have you ever found yourself staring into the fabric of the gray cubicle wall in front of you and thinking "How the hell did I end up here?" If you're a smart, hardworking, miserable employee with a hidden entrepreneurial spirit, you're in pretty good company. In the course of my work I've encountered so many people just rotting away in their cubes because they were too confused, overwhelmed or scared to consider leaving to pursue their heart's desire. Many started their careers with high aspirations and creative impulses, only to find corporate life gradually becoming more and more unbearable. I recently asked my blog readers how it specifically felt to be stuck in a cube, and here are some of their raw comments: Physical symptoms "I feel like life is coasting by while I sit and rot. My eyes are dry and my wrist aches" "I am physically and emotionally drained, anxious, depressed, fat and out-of-shape. I am eating my hatred of this life, and with every bite I want to gag." Emotional and mental symptoms "Working in a cube increases my stress and kills my productivity. With all the noise and people walking around it is impossible to focus on any task." "I feel very oppressed and depressed" "I feel as if the blood is being siphoned out of my body. Not enough to put me out of my misery, just enough to take away my will to live!" Spiritual symptoms "My work sucks all the creativity and fun out of my job and is starting to sap my spirit too." "I feel as if I don't have a soul anymore. I feel like I am mostly machine and all traces of humanity have been sucked out of me" Ouch! So if things are so bad, why don't more people leave to start their own business? Leaving the "stability" of a corporate job can be scary if you have a family to take care of, or a large mortgage, or if you simply don't know what you want to do with the next stage of your life. And if you have never been an entrepreneur before, you may be terrified by things like: Which business to start How to manage the myriad of legal, financial, operational, sales and marketing details that are involved in starting your own business How to know if you have what it takes to make it as a successful entrepreneur It is true that starting your own business is no piece of cake. But it is not impossible! Thousands of people each year muster up the courage to leave their corporate job and start their own business. So what distinguishes the "cube rotters" from the "free agents?" A process for moving through fear of the unknown so you can take action. In working with my own clients, I discovered that the beginning stage of cube escape is not creating a specific business plan, but rather addressing the overwhelming and paralyzing feelings of fear that accompany thoughts of a big life change. These are not things that everyone likes to talk about. But unless you address them head-on, you will be forever dreaming and never taking any action. So, inspired by positive changes in my clients who addressed these issues and wanting to share them with a much wider audience, I created a 40-minute audio program which includes specific exercises for what I call "Phase One" of breaking the shackles of your corporate job. Here is what is included: -40 minute audio CD with specific exercises -35 page workbook that accompanies CD with complete instructions for exercises -immediate access to the Mp3 file in case you don't want to wait for your CD to arrive in the mail -links to extra resources to spur you along on your entrepreneurial path -the cost of the program is $39, plus shipping Sounds good — take me to the order page. This program is for you if: You are tired of feeling trapped in your cube and are seriously considering starting your own business You have been paralyzed by fear of leaving for quite awhile and are ready to move forward You can make time for at least an hour of listening and an hour of writing You are not looking for a magic wand that will zap you into the world of instant internet millionaires, but rather want a realistic, practical foundation for starting your business What is covered: Insight into why you feel so trapped in your job, based on my theory of the Secret Vortex of the Corporate Deathstar. Exercises to help you identify specific fears related to leaving your corporate job and a process to break them down one by one. Powerful tools to rediscover your true, creative voice that will not only help you create a dynamic business, but navigate through the decisions of starting a business with clarity and passion A process for creating a picture of your ideal life, whether or not you know what kind of business you want to start. So if I do all the exercises, will I be ready to quit my job tomorrow? I hate to break it to you, but if I could solve that problem for you with a $39 40-minute audio program, I would be having two assistants paint my toes on my private yacht while I watched millions of dollars pour into my bank account. If only it were such an easy problem to solve! But I will say this . . . these first three steps are the right place to begin your cube breakout strategy. Once you have a plan for addressing your fears, know how to access your true voice and have a clear picture of what your ideal life could look like, a wonderful momentum will take you through the next steps of creating your business. Despite the hype promised by many eager "entrepreneurial dream peddlers" out there, there is not a magic pill that will make you into an overnight millionaire. What would be the fun of that? Part of the joy of becoming an entrepreneur is learning and growing through every step of creating your business. But the hardest part is getting started. So that is what I aim to help you do with this program. What makes you qualified to talk about this, Pam? I am a "recovering management consultant" who spent more hours than you can imagine inside the bowels of corporations all throughout the U.S. This has given me an intimate understanding of the day-to-day reality of corporate employees. I have been an entrepreneur for eleven years and have experienced the ups, downs and sideways of growing a thriving business while creating a life that makes me happy, healthy and secure. And many years as a martial arts instructor taught me a lot about personal growth, fear and breaking through mental barriers. Since launching my coaching business and blog on the topic of Escaping Cubicle Nation in October of 2005, I have developed a strong and supportive cadre of readers to the tune of 50,000 per month who tell me every day that the information covered is not just 'get rich quick' crap, but useful for making real change. It makes me happy to get unsolicited emails like these: Hi Pam: I just wanted to say thank you for your blog. It's been an encouragement for me over these last few months as I've been in a time of transition. Today is my very last day at a phenomenal job, and Monday starts a new life for me. I'll be in the same industry (commercial real estate investment) but I'll be working for myself instead of another person. I'm thrilled for the next step. Thanks for your encouragement! Sincerely, Deyl Kearin http://buildpipelines.blogspot.com/ Dear Pamela, My husband & I have been living the best kind of entrepreneurial life since February of this year as L.I.Ps (location independent professionals) and having re-discovered your blog, I now remember now that yours was one of the blogs I followed at the time that gave me a lot of the inspiration, information & impetus we needed to do what we're doing now. Running our business from the Caribbean (for now - we're just exploring the world a little!) is a dream come true for me and coming from a corporate management consulting background which I was really suited to & secretly enjoyed in a strange masochistic way, it is still ever-so-slightly unbelievable and unreal to think what we're doing now. Anyhow, thank you again! Lea Woodward http://www.lipliving.com So if you are willing to test the material out and see if it works for you, the ordering instructions are below. And if you are worried about throwing your money away, don't - see my money back guarantee below the order box. To order: After clicking this button, you will be taken to a shopping cart checkout. Click on "checkout" and you will be taken to the order payment page. Once you order, you'll be taken to a confirmation page where you can get a link to the audio and PDF files, as well as a couple of bonus interviews. Your CD package should arrive in the mail within 5 days if you are in the U.S., and a bit more if you are outside the U.S. If you have any problems with the ordering process, send an email to phase1@ganas.com or call 480-663-3252. Money back guarantee: If you find that you truly get no value from your $39 investment in the program after working with it for 30 days, I will give you a 100% refund, no questions asked. I realize that this product may not be the perfect fit for everyone in the world, and I would rather have a small group of totally satisfied customers than a big pile of halfway lukewarm ones. And if you let me know what is missing for you, I will do my best to point you in the direction of some other resources that may be a better fit. While I can use the diaper money, (for my new baby, not for me!) I would rather you get out of your cube in a way that makes sense for you rather than force you to do it my way. Thanks for reading this far, and if you do indeed purchase the product, let me know what you think! Send questions or comments to phase1@ganas.com. Here is to a free and creative new start for you - life is truly too short to whither away in a gray fabric prison! Pamela Slim www.escapefromcubiclenation.com P.S. As much as it may seem like magic, remember that real people just like you make the leap to entrepreneurship successfully, through the force of their commitment and hard work. Frank Wiley, who sent this email a couple of months ago, just informed me that since making the transition to full-time entrepreneurship, his business has taken off, and he will be featured on the cover of "Linux Pro Magazine" in November, 2007. He didn't drink magic fairy dust or pay $10,000 to a business expert; he just addressed his fears, made his plans and executed them. Go Frank!!! Hi Pamela, I've been an avid reader of your blog for probably about a year now and I've finally taken the plunge into full-time self-employment a couple of weeks ago. Your posts, encouragement, and advice definitely played a big role in my finally taking the plunge. I'm sure you probably get a few of these E-mails a week, but just wanted to drop you a line and express my appreciation for all that you do! Frank Wiles Revolution Systems, LLC.