"I QUIT MY JOB TO START A BUSINESS" | The Part Nobody Talks About with Alex McCarthy

*What really happens after you quit your job to start a business? Alex McCarthy shares the messy, unexpected middle between leaving the “safe” path and building a business — and life — that actually fits YOU.* Everyone loves the entrepreneur story of "I quit my job to start a business" but not everyone shares the emotional journey that comes with becoming an entrepreneur.  Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough: sometimes you leave the wrong path **before** you know exactly what the right one looks like. That’s what happened to Alex McCarthy. After a career in export sales — including her claim to fame of selling over **a million pounds of green bananas** (love that!) — Alex knew the path she was on wasn’t the one she wanted long-term. So she left, bought a one-way ticket to Asia and started figuring out what she actually wanted work and life to look like. What came next wasn’t a perfectly packaged entrepreneur story. It was travel. Meeting digital nomads. Using her existing network. Pitching herself before she felt completely ready. A former employer unexpectedly becoming her first client. And eventually turning down the opportunity to return to her old job WITH A PROMOTION, because she wanted to gives this whole entrepreneurship thing a try! We get into the reality of your **first year of business**, finding those first clients, making decisions without knowing exactly where they’ll lead, and **building a business around your lifestyle** instead of creating another job you eventually want to escape from. In this **female entrepreneur** podcast episode: - What actually happens **after you quit your job to start a business** — especially when you don’t have the perfect plan - How Alex found her **first client** by using the network she already had - The less glamorous reality of navigating your first year of business - Why Alex **batched an entire year of podcast episodes while pregnant** to stay visible without needing to constantly show up online - How to start **building a business around your lifestyle**, values and version of success **Listen for...** a reminder that you don’t have to know exactly where your business is going to go before you start, pivot or scale.  And more importantly: if you're leaving a career because it doesn't fit the life you want, don't automatically build yourself a business that doesn't fit either. **About the Guest:** Alex McCarthy is a business coach and podcast host of *My Kind of Business*, where she helps solo business owners and small teams build businesses that fit their lives — not the other way around. Her approach is rooted in freedom, creativity and a personal definition of success — especially useful when you’re in those first few years of business and everyone else’s version of “making it” starts to cloud out what YOU want.  **Connect with Alex McCarthy** Website: https://www.alexmccarthycoaching.com/ Podcast: My Kind of Business **Next Steps:** 1. Share this episode with a friend 2. Listen to next: The Biggest Mind F\*ck of My Life | Leaving My Job to Start a Business (ep 25) 3. Rate and Review to share your support **RESOURCES** PRIVATE PODCAST: Secrets of Standing Out Online www.herfirst3years.com Instagram: @chardetryel **PROGRAMS & FREE TRAININGS** Start Your Podcasthttps://charryel.com/podcast-guest-training-og-3209Grow Your Podcast Learn How to Be a Guest on Podcasts