People told me I was ‘committing career suicide’ when I quit my £16,000 job
A WOMAN who quit her £16,000-a-year job to focus on her sideline has revealed her business now brings in £400,000 a year.
Paula Pant quit her low-paying job as a news reporter after deciding to travel.
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Her parents were not impressed by her decision. They had always dreamed of her becoming a doctor or an engineer.
Speaking to CNBC, she said: “Everyone told me I was crazy and that I was going to commit suicide.
“They said I would never get a job again.”
Despite her low salary, Paula managed to save £19,000 to travel by working as a freelance writer alongside her job.
Read more stories about extra income
She said, “Every penny I earned from freelancing, I decided to save.”
After returning from her trip, Paula continued freelancing and living as cheaply as possible.
She began writing about her own experiences with saving money and built a reputation as a personal finance writer.
When Paula was earning £4,000 a month from freelancing, she started her own content creation business called Afford Anything.
The company teaches people how to make better decisions with their finances and now generates £400,000 a year.
Paula writes, podcasts, and makes videos about personal finance. She teaches people about investing in stocks and dealing with debt.
She said, “The idea behind afford anything is that you can afford anything, but not everything.
“Every choice you make is a trade-off between something else.”
She explained that many of her friends had told her they couldn’t afford to travel but would happily spend £12 on one drink in a bar.
“If you want to do something, there are ways to make it happen,” she said.
How to start your own business?
Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers that aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of self-confidence. You have to believe in your idea — and more than that, be the one to bore your friends to death with it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, the confidence to make decisions is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and act on it if you can. If you can’t, find someone else who can.
- It’s okay not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions has helped build my confidence and made me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media and remember that the internet is an equal opportunity for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
Paula said that if you really want something, the best way to get it is to stick to a budget and take on a side job to earn some extra money.
She said her company’s mission is to help people become better decision-makers.
Her parents have finally accepted her decision and are very proud of her achievements.
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