By far the most common scenario I come across whilst running my Café Course, are people wanting to change career. People arrive on the course from all walks of life. Ranging from solicitors, nurses and teachers to students, bankers and academics.
Changing career is a big deal. You will be stepping off the ladder you have worked so hard to scale, to join a more uncertain world. You may also be taking on a large financial risk opening a café and becoming self-employed. But have you asked yourself the question why?
Why do I want to change career? Why do I want to be self-employed? Why am I going into an industry I have no experience in? It does sound obvious, but have you really drilled down and been honest with your answers?
Often the real answer is people are looking for control within their work environments. Being self-employed can bring you that control.
A woman recently came on my café course and the first thing she said when she sat down was how much she loved her job. She had just completed a PHD and was working at Oxford University.
I wasn’t sure that opening a café was the right career move for this person. Her passion was physics, not coffee. At the end of the day I asked her to stay behind so that we could chat further and get to the bottom of what was going on. After a bit of unpacking we worked out that what she was looking for was control. She wanted her own laboratory where she could be in charge. The frustrations of a limiting working environment had translated into the desire to become self-employed and open a café.
If you are thinking of changing career to open a café first answer the question, Why? Creating a lovely café and becoming self-employed may well be exactly the career move for you. Just make sure you make that move knowing what your real motivations are first.
