I’m Emily, founder of Emily Kim Co! We're a team of brand photographers & videographers, and we work with passionate small business owners who are ready to scale and stand out as local industry leaders.

We're based in Boston, MA and the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Here at Emily Kim Co, we provide creative, strategic marketing imagery & videos that attract YOUR ideal audience.

tell me more...

crowd faves

on the blog

Color Psychology for Photoshoots

5 Dream Bay Area Studio Rentals for Your Next Shoot

5 Tips for Optimizing Images on Your Website

How to Plan Outfits for Your Brand Photoshoot

goodies you'll love

Access My Free Resource Library

Branded Stock Photography at the EK Stock Shop

Free Preset for
Lightroom Mobile

business tips

What 6 months of full-time entrepreneurship has taught me

< back to blog home

Somehow, it’s been 6 months since I transitioned from my corporate tech job to being a full-time entrepreneur. If you didn’t know, prior to being a full-time brand photographer, I was a software engineer. Quite the change, right? 😂

Anyways, I’m feeling 6 months older and wiser, so I wanted to share my findings with you of what I’ve learned after half a year of full-time entrepreneurship.

What I’ve learned 6 months after transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship

A woman photographer taking a picture of its subject who is another woman holding necklaces against the wall.

1. That I’m a LOT less stressed out, which is great for everyone involved (everyone being my clients and Steven and Rosie)

When I was working my corporate job AND running my business, it was just…a lot. I would check my business email before starting work (at 8:30 or 9am). Then, I’d write code from 9am-12pm. 12-1pm was reserved for business meetings (and sometimes lunch). 1-5 or 5:30pm was for the corporate job, and then – I’d work into the night on content, editing, and planning client photoshoots.

Basically, I was was working around the clock – literally 8am to 8pm. I was able to manage it for a couple years before it finally wore me down. 😅 Nowadays, I have *actual* work/life balance, and I’m much more relaxed because of it. After work, I can actually shut down my computer and spend time with Steven and Rosie. (But mostly Rosie.)

A photographer taking a picture of its  subject. The subject is a woman against the wall wearing orange jacket, a crop top and shorts.

2. That the ups and downs are just a normal part of the experience of transitioning from corporate to entrepreneur

Income is not consistent (and will it ever be?), which is probably the biggest shift after switching from a salaried position to self employment. There are weeks where sales are fantastic, and weeks where they’re… not. There will always be peaks and valleys!

In the past, when I’ve had lulls, I would panic immediately. The doubt and fear creeps in, and I have thoughts like: I can’t believe I quit my job for this – what if I’m broke in a month? Why did I think this was possible? Am I even good at this?

And of course, after a lull, it always goes back up. 6 months into this, I think I’ve finally learned to expect the lulls and not panic about it every time.

As an example, this month, I experienced another lull. For the first time ever, I didn’t panic immediately – I thought to myself, “this will pass,” as it always does! 

… I still panicked a little later on, but I’m working on it 😂

A woman photographer taking photos of its subject. The subject is a woman wearing black at the top of the building.

3. Against all odds, I haven’t looked back or regretted my decision

Against all odds, I haven’t looked back or regretted my decision of transitioning from corporate to entrepreneur. Have I panicked every once in a while and thought, “whatamidoingshouldigobacktomyrEgUlArjob”?! Yes, yes I have. But then, I get a grip and realize how AMAZING it is to 1) work for myself, and 2) work with YOU as much as I can!

So, there’s that. Whether you’re trying to muster up the courage and confidence to go for that next big thing you want, or you’re just reading this out of curiosity, I hope it helps. 💛

If you enjoyed this post on transitioning from corporate to entrepreneur, you might also like:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I’m Emily, founder of Emily Kim Co! We're a team of brand photographers & videographers, and we work with passionate small business owners who are ready to scale and stand out as local industry leaders.

We're based in Boston, MA and the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Here at Emily Kim Co, we provide creative, strategic marketing imagery & videos that attract YOUR ideal audience.

tell me more...

crowd faves

on the blog

Color Psychology for Photoshoots

5 Dream Bay Area Studio Rentals for Your Next Shoot

5 Tips for Optimizing Images on Your Website

How to Plan Outfits for Your Brand Photoshoot

goodies you'll love

Access My Free Resource Library

Branded Stock Photography at the EK Stock Shop

Free Preset for
Lightroom Mobile

Website Template by Elizabeth McCravy

Privacy Policy

Brand PHotographer & videographer team

Boston, MA 02111
los altos, CA 94024

Brand design by Cember Studio

Admin at Best SF Bay Area Photographers | © 2021-2023 EMILY KIM llc