200th Episode Special: Your Biggest Career Change & Business Questions Answered! | #200

🎉 It’s the 200th episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast, and we’re celebrating with a special Q&A edition! Host and business coach, Shannon Russell, is answering your most pressing questions about how to quit your job, start a business, and reinvent yourself at any age.

In this milestone episode, Shannon covers:
 ✔️ How to know when it’s the right time to quit your 9-5
 ✔️ What to do if you have a business idea but aren’t sure it’s good enough
 ✔️ How to figure out your next step if you feel lost or stuck
 ✔️ Planning your exit strategy while keeping your paycheck
 ✔️ Overcoming fear of judgment when leaving a traditional career
 ✔️ Starting over at any age—even in your 50s or beyond

Whether you're planning your second act or unsure what’s next, this episode offers empowering insights, practical advice, and real-world strategies to help you take that leap—with confidence.

📚 Plus, Shannon shares how to get started with the YouMap® assessment and where to grab her new book, Start Your Second Act.

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Transcript

Second Act Success Career Podcast

Season 1 - 200th Episode Special: Your Biggest Career Change & Business Questions Answered! | #200

Episode - #200

Host: Shannon Russell

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate) 

[00:00:00] Hey there. Welcome to the 200th episode of the second Act Success Career podcast. I'm your host Shannon Russell, and this is a celebration episode. . This show is where you'll learn how to go from where you are now to where you want to be by launching a second act career or business that truly lights you up.

Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second Act Success Career podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer, turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.

This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be, and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started.

This episode is extra special for me because it is [00:01:00] my 200th episode, As you know, I always invite you to submit your questions to leave a comment on Apple Podcasts, but over the past few weeks, I was asking everyone to submit a question via DMing me on Instagram or sending in an email, and I received an overwhelming amount of responses, so thank you so much for submitting questions and topics that you want me to cover on this special episode of the show.

I've had a lot of fun pulling together all of these questions and comments, and I'm excited to create a really impactful episode today that will just serve our whole entire second ACT success community.

 All right, let's get right to it.

Question number one, Shannon, how do I know if it's really the right time now to make a career change and open a business? Okay, well, this is probably the most common question that I get asked, and my answer is always this. If you're [00:02:00] asking that question, then that's your sign. If you are pondering whether or not now is the time to make that change in your career, then, yeah, I think this is the time for you to at least allow yourself to explore what you're thinking, to do your research, to kind of look into what life would look like if you did leave your job and start a business.

Most people I find, stay stuck where they are because they're waiting for that perfect sign, that perfect moment where everything aligns and the music plays and the birds sing. And they know without a doubt that they are meant to do the thing.

But in reality. There is no such perfect moment. So I think that when you get that sign, that inkling that something just isn't right, and that you're thinking about another possibility, then this is the time to at least start preparing and planning. [00:03:00] And you won't know until you really start doing that research.

Right? So, as I've mentioned here on the podcast, learn before you leap, decide really how you're feeling in the moment now. Look at your bank account. Look at what you have planned in your family, in your life for the next year or so, and really map it out. Look at what it would take for you to create that business and start doing some planning.

Start doing some research to see what really the day to day and that role looks like, and you'll get those answers. Because if you're feeling misaligned with where you are now, I think there's no use waiting for that magical alignment to happen, 

it's not going to. All of a sudden you wake up today and you're feeling stuck and blah, and you don't wanna go to work, chances are next week you're not gonna wake up singing and happy and excited to go to work. There's gotta be a lot of changes in between that. If you are having those inklings, then that feeling is your intuition nudging you [00:04:00] to maybe take that next step, dip your toe in, learn a little bit more about what that business would look like, and then you'll learn a lot more and you'll be able to move on from there.

Air

 Question number two, I have a business idea, but I'm not sure if it's really good enough. How do I know if it will work and succeed? That's a great question and no one really knows if it will truly succeed right off the bat.

It definitely takes time for any new business venture to get off the ground, to get in front of the perfect client or customer, but really that fear that is. That fear that you're feeling now, don't let it stop you. Don't let it stop you before you actually begin. What you can do now is really concentrate on validating that idea.

You can do your market research. You can look into, okay, who do you want to serve with this product or service, and is there a need right now? If there are other businesses out [00:05:00] there serving these people in the way that you want to, then how can you differentiate yourself? What can you maybe offer to your product suite that is a little bit different?

Or how does your background and your experience add to what you will be bringing to the table as a business owner? It goes back to what I've discussed here on the show as well, is creating that career story of how you're going from where you started your career to opening this business and why you're the perfect person to be doing this.

Think of what that narrative is. So when you start telling people about your business and they ask you, well, where did you come up with that idea? You will know exactly what to say. Well, I did X, Y, and Z for so many years. I thought this is a great way to segue into entrepreneurship because I have X, Y, and Z experience.

think about the story. Think about what your audience might want, your customers, your clients, that that perfect market you will [00:06:00] be reaching out to. And think about again, what problem you are going to solve for people and what that narrative will be around that. In my new book, I also talk about really brainstorming and figuring out your ideas before you go to market so you can reach out to people that are in your inner circle. Former colleagues, friends, family, get their feedback if you think they are. Part of that demographic that is your ideal audience.

You wanna make sure that you can find out what they would be looking for, what their feedback is. Again, these are people who you really trust who are going to support you on this venture. Don't reach out to people who might be a naysayer or might be a little worried about you going into a business of your own.

Find people that you can trust. Ask their opinion. Reach out to acquaintances on LinkedIn who maybe have started a business or have a similar business and find out from them any advice and tips they may [00:07:00] have. Your business isn't going to be perfect on day one,

I wouldn't really worry about if it's quote unquote good enough. It has to be what you want to create for the market you want to reach, it's going to be as good as you make it. If it's not ready, that's one thing.

You can work a little bit longer to get the business in a place where you're ready to showcase it, but it's never going to be perfect. So let good enough go and really build the business that you truly believe in. And I think The more you believe it, the more confident you'll feel. And that will come across to your customers or clients that you are ideally reaching.

Ooh, this is fun. Okay, question number three. What if I have absolutely no idea what I want to do next? Okay. That is a very open-ended question. there are so many directions you can go in when you're thinking about a second [00:08:00] act, you just know that you're not happy maybe where you are now or that something doesn't feel right and you're just not sure if you want to stay on the same path that you are currently on.

And that's okay. Those feelings, that intuition, again, is really. What drives you, and it's having that conversation with yourself of pausing life and checking in with yourself. How do I feel? Am I okay on this path? Is there more that I want to be doing in this one life I'm given? And when you have those conversations with yourself, you get really honest because you're discussing it with yourself, me, myself, and I.

That's where you get that honesty and you really start to get that clarity about what it is you want. That I think is where you can maybe give yourself that permission to want more.

Now as far as what you want to move into, i've been there. When I decided to leave my TV producer career, I had no idea what else I wanted to do, [00:09:00] and I felt very lost because in TV it's a very niche industry in the entertainment industry, and I felt like, wow, there is nothing else I can possibly do with these skills.

There's no way. If I'm not on a television set or in a studio, I don't know what else I can do. So It took that inner work of me kind of switching my mindset and literally writing down on a piece of paper every skill I've had and what I had to do in my, 16 plus year career. And when I did that, I saw, wow, okay, I've done this, I've done that, and this is how these skills and experience can transfer into something else.

I actually took a nine to five job at the time when I was trying to figure out what to do, and I learned what it was like to have a nine to five job close to home. That particular job was very toxic and not a good fit at all. , Very horrible experience. But I think that is [00:10:00] kind of another sign from the universe for me that it was like, no, no, no.

This is not fitting. This is not your next act. Keep going, keep searching, keep looking. I also started going for a master's degree thinking, oh, I'll be a teacher. Teaching is very stable. Maybe I'll try that because I was trying to find what would fit into my life with a three-year-old and a newborn. as I was going for my master's, I realized, oh, this doesn't feel right either.

So I would suggest to you is to be okay that you don't know what you want to do next, and take solace in the fact that you know there is a next act for you. You're just gonna try to figure out what really feels right to you. And once you start listening to those signs and listening to yourself, you will start to.

, See things open up and you will start to feel like, oh yeah, maybe I should go in this direction and explore it. , Or, yeah, that is definitely not what I want to be doing next. You'll start [00:11:00] realizing, um, kind of those signs and those feelings and, going back to really how your intuition really plays into this as well.

Listen to those signs. Also a lot of women that come to me and feel this way, I direct them straight to the YouMap framework that I use with all of my clients. And YouMap is a framework, a career assessment, if you will. That really pulls out your skills, your talents, your personality, your values, everything that you hold dear and that you know how to do.

And it really also takes your strengths and your preferred skills, what you can do that you want to keep doing, and what you might be good at and skilled at that you no longer want to do. As you start a second act, you can be a little bit more choosy about which direction you're going into. So the YouMap really does align all of these things in a profile for [00:12:00] you, where a lot of my clients will use it as that tool that when they're thinking about a business idea, they go back to the YouMap 

They begin to see that, Ooh, yes, this business aligns with my uap. It allows me to use my skills and my strengths, and it has great use of my personality and my interests, and it really holds true to my values. So yes, I'm gonna keep going down this path and see if this is a good fit, or you might align your U map with a job opportunity

or a volunteer role that you're looking into, whatever that second act option is. And you might say, you know what? I think if I go down that route, I will be using a lot of the skills that I really don't want to focus on anymore. So, yes, the UAP is a great option for people because it just gives you that outline to keep you focused and on the right.

Trajectory. If you wanna learn more, you can head over to secondactsuccess.co/YouMap and you can see [00:13:00] how,, to work with me if you do wanna get that assessment done. It's a really valuable tool,

Overall to wrap up this question with a little bow, , remember that you have power to reflect on your past and let that help you predict your future. Think about things that will really excite you and light you up as you move forward. And, , take your time. It will come to you.

Alright, we have a few more questions here. , Another question is, I want to quit my job so badly, but I need income. I need that paycheck. How do I plan my exit strategy to make sure that I am moving towards my goal, but still have a paycheck every week? Okay, I got you. I got you. That is the number one thing that I think a lot of women fear.

it's wreaking that havoc in their family and not having that stability that they've worked hard to bring into their lives. finances is something that is not [00:14:00] fun to look at. It's not fun to be honest with yourself about, but you really need to do it when you're planning on making this shift, especially.

From a job where you depend on that paycheck, you're working for someone else to being an entrepreneur, owning a business where everything is on you, and reminder that when you start a business, I. You're not gonna just replace your income in the first couple of weeks. It's going to take some time, and you might not even be bringing money into your personal bank account for a year or a year plus.

it really depends on your business and how much you're putting into building the business out, scaling the business, and how much you need to bring in to your family. The smart and responsible plan of action that you can take is to not leap without a plan, have that exit strategy like you were asking me about, by doing this, you create that timeline or that map [00:15:00] to get you there. In my book, I really break it down a lot. There's a whole section on that exit strategy, but really what I talk about a lot is calculating your runway. So how much money do you need to save now so that you can have those months of, Ooh, I'm building the business.

I'm not sure where the money's coming from, and that you would feel okay. Calculate your runway, be honest about your finances, and then you can kind of decide, well, should I be working for six more months to save the money I need? What can I do to build my business on the side? Be honest with yourself about the financial aspect of, you know, starting a business.

It's really important. Then create that timeline and don't give your notice until then. when you do give your notice, you want to plan for a clear transition. You don't wanna leave your company, your team, your manager in a lurch. You want to make sure that you're leaving in the highest regard, that you're really showing them grace [00:16:00] and you're thankful for what you've accomplished with your company, but you're moving out to create something on your own.

So again, that timeline that you're creating allows you to bring in the money that you need to save now, and you can start planning as you go. You can start planning for that transition with your team. You can start planning for building the business. Maybe you start building the business on the side.

You can get your LLC, you can open a business bank account. You can create your website, do your branding. there's so many things you can do on the side while you plan to leave and while you're earning that paycheck still.

This time can also be where you look at it like a bridge. Your bridge is your plan or your exit strategy to get you from this job to being a full-time business owner. It doesn't have to be a short bridge, it can be a long bridge, but you are creating that, transition plan, that path for yourself based on, again, going back to.

You know your [00:17:00] finances, you said you need that paycheck. So be honest with yourself and you know, it might mean working a little harder or working through your lunch break, but you can get that work done to help build the business while you're doing your day job and earning that money. takes a little discipline, but you can get there.

I also have a separate podcast series called How to Quit Your Job and Start a Business. If you want to listen to that, just go search for how to quit your job and start a business on Apple, Spotify, anywhere you listen to podcasts. In that series it's 20 episodes and I walk you through how you can make that change.

So that might be a great resource for you to check out as well.

All right. Next question. Question number five. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid of what others will think if I walk away from my career and venture into opening my own business, my friend.

I know that feeling and that is another huge fear from many, many, many of my [00:18:00] clients. , I think we are just wired, especially as women, to have this fear and we can say that we don't. We can try to act like we don't care what other people think, but I think in the back of our minds we do worry, especially in this time of social media.

So my biggest piece of advice is don't let that pressure from society, your family, those naysayers. Anyone else dictate what you do? Or dictate what you're known for, because the truth is, it's your life, your career, and your future, our identities are not wrapped in what we do for our career as much as society might tell us otherwise.

It really truly isn't because you are leaving a job, a career, an industry that you've been in for a while, but you're taking those skills and experience. And you're opening a business and going into that second act, you're reinventing yourself. You are just evolving [00:19:00] into a different version of you, but you're still the same person.

What I often advise, and you've probably heard me talk about this on the podcast, if you've been here for any amount of time, but keep your thoughts, your dreams close to your chest while you're figuring out logistics. What I mean by that is don't tell everyone right away. Don't be that person who gets an idea and then tells the world.

Do your research first. Start planning. The more you research, the more you plan, the more you dip your toe in and look around to see if this business idea or this second act venture is something for you, the more confident you become. And that's where it becomes exciting. And then once you hit that level of excitement and confidence, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

 Even if it's your partner, your parents, your best friend. You do not owe those people anything when it comes to what transition you're thinking about. [00:20:00] Yes, you love them. Yes, they're supportive, but you don't know how they'll feel when you mention that you're gonna make this pivot. So keep that information close to your chest.

keep that information to yourself while you do that research. And once you hit that confident stage, you can start telling people, and it's not gonna matter what they say. When I left television, people were shocked. They were concerned asking me, why? Why are you leaving this? You've wanted this your whole entire life.

You're making great money. You have all these amazing experiences. Why, why, why? now those same people. See how much happier I am. They see that I've now created two different businesses in my life and impacted my community and helped other women and written a book, started a podcast, speak on stages.

All the things that make me happy and most importantly, fulfilled my goal of being that present mom for my kids. That was my whole purpose. That was my priority from the [00:21:00] get go. I was able to do that. So when I think back, yes, I could have stayed in TV and been happy. I loved it, but I wouldn't have had all of the experiences with my children and I wouldn't have been as present and been able to pick them up in the middle of the day if they're sick and go to all of their school shows and sporting events and all of the things.

So for me, it didn't matter. What other people thought because I was confident in myself. So I want you to do your research and get to that point where you are self-aware and confident about your decision so that nothing, no one can come in between you. And again, my friend, you are not starting over.

You're starting from experience. You are starting a new act embarking on a new adventure, and that's really exciting if you allow yourself to look at it that way and, feel that excitement. You deserve it

[00:22:00] let That excitement drive you as you move towards what's next for you in this amazing life that you have. I hope that helps.

Alright, another question here and then I think this might be our last one for this episode. I didn't want to make this episode really, really long.

If I didn't get to your question, message me and I will answer it in another episode coming up.

 Question six. Is it too late for me to start over? I'm 55. I've been at my career since I was 22. I'm ready to retire, but I know there's more I still want to do.

Can I start something new? Can I start over? At my age,

Okay, friend, you are absolutely not late for anything. I have coached women in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties, and I always say if you have a breath to breathe. In your lungs and you [00:23:00] want to do something else, then why not?

It's never too late. You can start over at any age more and more Now. I wish I knew the statistic, but I don't off the top of my head. But more and more women are looking at it the way you are and they're starting something new in retirement. I think it's the idea, and maybe it was the pandemic that really got us thinking this way, but the idea that, wow, I have this one life and I've worked so long and so hard for someone else, that I think it's time for me to do something and create something of my own.

You can take that experience and those skills and you can create a business out of that. I'm not sure what it is exactly that you're thinking about, but you can still create a business. You can decide to retire and then go to work for someone else. But doing something that's more aligned with your heart, you can decide to volunteer.

Full-time, replace your full-time work hours and volunteer for a [00:24:00] cause that is near and dear to you. You don't have to think about taking on a whole new venture. You know, you don't wanna start. You don't have to think about something that's overwhelming, but think about how you want to spend your time and being able to retire and then start over is really great.

 I had a conversation with Cindy Baker on episode 1 93 of the podcast, so pretty recently, and she actually decided to retire a little bit early.\ From her teaching career and go into launching a business where she coached other creative entrepreneurs on how to really be productive using the productivity tips that she learned from being diagnosed with A DHD.

She's a great example of someone who decided to retire, but keep working and do something that really she felt passionate about. She recently wrote a book. She's speaking more on stages and she's creating this next act of her life around what she wants to [00:25:00] do, the hours she wants to give, and what she wants to do at the end of the day to feel fulfilled.

Again, it's not too late. You just need to think about what it is that you'd like to do and start creating your strategy on how to get there. If you do want to retire and then move into this next venture, go for it. But you have everything that you need, and as long as you feel the energy and the excitement to try something new, It's 1000%, never too late. So give yourself that permission and I'm gonna be cheering you on. That's very, very exciting. Go for it.

Alright, thank you for joining me on this special q and a episode of the Second Act, success Career Podcast. 200 episodes in my friends,

through these episodes, I've been able to hopefully give you that inspiration, give you those actionable steps that you can take to start a second act in your life, and in all of these episodes of my interviews with other women who have been able to make that [00:26:00] leap and start a successful business or start over in their second act doing what it is.

That they feel passionate about. We've talked about everything from launching into a photography business or a website design business or consulting and coaching to volunteering to recording audio books full time to being a caregiver.

I've been so fortunate to be able to have really incredible conversations with people who have made this second act leap, and I hope that their stories have been inspiring for you. I would love to know what you would like to hear on the next 200 episodes of this podcast.

You can submit your questions to me by emailing me at info@secondactsuccess.co, or head over to Instagram and you can DM me i'm at Second ACT Success. You can also, of course, leave a review for the show or a comment on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. thank you very much for [00:27:00] celebrating 200 episodes with me. If you know someone who would find this podcast interesting and inspiring and empowering, please share it with them.

The more people I can reach with this podcast, the better. And if you have not grabbed your copy of my new book, start Your Second Act, please go grab it. It's over at Amazon, Barnes and Noble. And of course you can head to start your second act.com to grab a copy there.

Lastly, my friend, remember, you are never stuck. You are just getting started.

Until next time, I am Shannon Russell urging you to keep producing your best life.

Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to second act, success. To view show notes from this episode, visit second act success.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they [00:28:00] really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell. And this is second act success.