Introduction

Going from W2 to 1099

by Jeffrey Taylor

Introduction

I look back at my business career and conveniently divide it into two parts; my corporate period (1975-1984) and my entrepreneurial period (1984-Present). During my corporate period I expected my employers to shower me with only first class service. Given the fast and furious economy of the 70s and 80s, it was easy for my employer to provide me with first class air tickets, 4 star hotels, 2 bottles of wine at dinner and unlimited cocktails in return for delivering the goods. I worked 70 hour weeks and partied till the wee hours of the morning.

Nonetheless, I left Corporate America in 1984 and have never looked back.

However, for the subsequent 25 years as an entrepreneur, I had to learn to stretch dollars in order to stay in business. It has been my experience that success comes from paying as little as possible for services and getting the most revenue for your time and efforts. For without that philosophy, you are surely to go out of business.

Some of the key issues you will face on your own include:

How do I transition from a job to being on my own?

How do I find clients?

Where should I spend time looking for business?

How do I define my business?

Why do people need me?

Who can I trust?

Many of you will want to go out on your own while others will be forced to. It is sad that as we get older the U.S. economy does not need us like they used to. Blame it on youth, politics, government, discrimination, prejudice, or whatever. Life is not fair and it has never been. The point is that you will not be able to define you business until you let go of the people (whether they be imaginary or real) that have caused you harm.

If you are looking for a textbook that goes into the mechanics of starting a business, this book is not for you. There are thousands of them out there.

I wrote this book to guide you on those days when you run out of ideas, want to give up and kill yourself. Stop worrying about things you cannot control and let’s get started.

Leaving the Corporate World Sucks

I believe that after serving small and large corporations for the last 30 years as a management consultant, I know a lot about corporate behavior. Employees come and go but corporations stay and grow. Most of them develop personalities and ask their employees to adapt to their corporate cultures. Over the years it is hard to distinguish the individual from the corporate persona and as a result most people do not know how to operate on their own.

Frequently, I go to job fairs and meet six-figure unemployed executives who complain about the following:

With all of my experience, why can’t I get a job?

I do not understand…they all want me to work on commission?

I cannot live on that base salary?

They want me to move to …..

They do not care about me or my family

I’m losing my seniority and they do not care

They think they can replace me

Don’t they know who I am?

I do not know if you see the pattern in these questions. What I see is a feeling of entitlement and a direct attempt to focus anger on everyone else. Trust me. You cannot survive in the entrepreneurial world with that amount of baggage.

Being on your own hurts at first

Face it. You’ve been wounded. At first it feels like no one likes you or wants you. Even if you wind up working at Home Depot or Walmart you avoid your friends and run behind the packing crates so your friends can’t see you. You feel like a pariah in your neighborhood and slowly sink into depression.

Now, I am not denying you your feelings. However, the sooner you get your act together and stop feeling sorry for yourself, you will begin a new journey that will make you feel better than you have ever felt before.

Why should you believe me?

If you are like most people you will not believe me until you read something that triggers a little thought in your brain that says, “Wow! He knows what I am going through”.

And that is why I want you to use this book as a daily reminder that you are not alone.

How should I read this book?

My first two textbooks were designed to help sales people sell more products and each chapter was divided into categories analyzing the sale process. This time I decided to pick major key words that reflect the life of the entrepreneur. To read this book in one sitting will make no sense, since your life as an entrepreneur is 24/7 and you are more likely to survive in business making sales instead of learning how to make sales.

Don’t waste you time reading my book and doing nothing with it. You may gain a lot of knowledge and still go out of business.

When you have free time (remember to make enough free time to recharge your body and spirit) pick up this book. I suggest that when you have a specific issue at hand, look it up. Doggy-ear pages so you can easily find pages that will help you. Reread sections until they make sense. You will be surprised how long it takes to undo former behavior. It does not happen overnight.

How can I survive as an entrepreneur?

The only way to stay in business is keep your existing customers, gain new customers and make enough money on your total sales to cover your costs and grow your business. It is that simple.

“A clever, compelling, and entertaining guide for those transitioning to self-employment… as easy to read as A, B, C”

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With unemployment soaring and the job market shrinking in numbers unprecedented since the Great Depression, more and more workers today are realizing that corporate American doesn’t care about them. Self-sufficiency in the form of self-employment is the only way to be sure they can earn a decent living for themselves and their loved ones.

Yet, for all the self-help books that teach us to check the color of our parachutes, manage in a minute, or find our cheese, no inspirational, informative guide exists to help people make the often-daunting transition from employee to gainfully self-employed.

That is, until now. "Going from W2 to 1099" (isbn: 0-9727047-4-4) provides all the facts, wisdom, and encouragement anyone needs to know when they leave a job working for someone else—whether through downsizing, company closure, or simply because they’ve had it “up to here” with corporate America—and set out on their own.

Because no two such transitions ever happen in the same way, "Going from W2 to 1099" doesn’t follow a step-by-step format. Instead, it offers 542 separate alphabetical entries, from the practical (Business Plan, COBRA, Credit, Introducing Yourself, LLC, Setting Priorities, Trend-Spotting, Viral Marketing) to the inspirational (Appreciation, Dreams, Gratefulness, Hope, Spirituality, Youthfulness), the historical (Bernanke, Greenspan, Panic of 1873, Reagan) to the humorously insightful (Brownies, Elevator Buttons, Naked vs. Nude, Toilets).

Thus organized, the 64,000-word book provides multiple ways to access and enjoy it. Readers can look up specific info when needed. Income seekers can read it cover to cover to jump-start a transition. Or, they can randomly dip in, seeking insight or encouragement.

"Going from W2 to 1099" draws directly on Jeffrey's personal experiences. He is the founder of Jeffrey Taylor Group, a holding company for Showbiz Management Advisors, Scottsdale Luxury Cruises, Deep Discount Business Travel and Alcohol411.info.

He is no stranger to the self-help book market, having previously published two textbooks for the equipment-leasing industry and an autobiography on his life as a recovering alcoholic. An MBA and retired CPA, Mr. Taylor has been published in many trade journals; has lectured in over 15 countries worldwide; and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

"Very funny and educational. Another winner. Way to interject recovery with everyday life laced with personal experience and knowledge backed up with research."

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