3 Signs It’s Time To Start Your Own Business In 2024

Are you feeling frustrated with your work and hoping for something better in your career?

You know you deserve a healthier work/life balance and you deserve to be respected and valued for your work; in fact, people have been telling you this for a long while, but perhaps you lack the motivation to get started as an entrepreneur and become a freelancer, or even launch your own start-up.

If you’re still weighing up the costs and benefits of being employed versus being self-employed, here ae a few signs you should look out for which typically indicate that you need to take at least the first step towards leaving your job and launching your own venture:

1. Frustration With Lack Of Innovation And Creativity

Some people, like Dieter Hsiao, an L.A.-based AI and tech entrepreneur, leave their jobs in favor of starting their own business venture because they observe that the current state of affairs in their company stifles growth and creativity.

“I decided to launch my side hustle, DIVISA, a strategic advisory firm, in 2008 during the financial crisis,” Hsiao recalls. “After working for major corporations for over 10 years, I grew frustrated with the lack of innovation and vision. DIVISA officially launched in 2009, and through delivering impact for clients, the company grew steadily. The flexibility of running my own business has allowed me to invest in growth areas like ecommerce and new technologies. DIVISA now works with major brands and VC-backed startups across industries,” he continues.

Hsiao has been able to fully unleash his creative thinking as an entrepreneur, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“The key to our success has been staying ahead of trends and building strong relationships,” he says. “We’ve developed innovative strategies leveraging AI and analytics before others. By understanding both the challenges and opportunities of ecommerce, we’ve helped numerous brands scale and improve customer experiences. The success of DIVISA has provided the freedom to explore new areas and work with forward-thinking clients, which fuels our continued passion for growth.”

When asked what advice he’d give to others who are similarly frustrated with their current jobs, Hsiao relates:

“Starting a side hustle is challenging, but focusing on your purpose and values can lead to great rewards. For DIVISA, our purpose is using strategy and technology to accelerate business growth in a sustainable way. By aligning our work with our purpose, we’ve built a company culture focused on innovation.”

If you find that you are constantly brimming with ideas, but you are the only one initiating them and your ideas are not being embraced or at the very least, considered, but are brushed aside or repulsed, it’s high time you think about taking your wealth of wisdom elsewhere and using it to grow your own empire.

2. Observing A Need That Your Employer Cannot/Does Not Fill

Working for an employer can provide a helpful boost to any future entrepreneurial pursuits, not only because of the financing aspect, but also because your experience there furnishes you with ideas on ways that you can fill a unique gap in the market. Through your in-depth expertise and role in the company, you are uniquely positioned to understand the market and your industry inside out, and use this knowledge to your advantage.

Take Courtney Zalesak as an example. The Texas-based entrepreneur decided to start her own side hustle, Home Service Amplifier, in 2015 after spending over 15 years managing HVAC and plumbing companies.

“I recognized a need to help other home service business owners scale their operations through digital marketing,” she says. “Home Service Amplifier officially launched in 2016, and we’ve since worked with hundreds of contractors to amplify their online presence.

“The flexibility of running my own business has allowed me to stay on the cutting edge of marketing trends and tailor solutions for each client’s unique needs. Our specialized experience in the home services industry gives us a competitive advantage; we understand the pain points and can develop strategies that actually drive results.

“By focusing on lead generation through social media, PPC, and SEO, our clients have increased sales, streamlined operations, and boosted brand awareness.”

Zalesak believes that although building her business as a side hustle was not easy to begin with, the ability to empower fellow business owners while having the ultimate freedom to innovate according to their needs fuels her passion and success today.

3. When You Have No Other Option

Another sign that it’s time to start your own business—even if it just begins as a side hustle—is when circumstances indicate that you have no other choice. It might not be what you actually want to hear, but have you ever paused for a moment to consider that perhaps the reason you are still unemployed after all these months, even years, of waiting for a job opportunity and applying desperately every chance you get, is because maybe working for someone is no longer for you anymore?

Have you reflected on the fact that life passes through stages, and perhaps you are at a stage in your life where employers are telling you “no” to your job applications, so much that you are fueled by their rejections to take your skills elsewhere and give yourself a “yes” for a change?

Sometimes we need to get cornered against a wall before we realize that we are not where we should be, and that we are forcing and kicking down a door of opportunity, when in reality, there is a door already swung open elsewhere.

So if you find your creativity and problem-solving initiative stifled at work, observe that there is a gap in the market that you are uniquely positioned to fill, or are backed up against the wall with rejection emails overwhelming your inbox every day—maybe, just maybe, it could be your sign to start your own business or become a freelancer.

It surely won’t be easy, but at least you will have peace of mind knowing that you are following your passion and fulfilling your dreams—uninhibited.