Today is the first day of my 100 day countdown. I started it off right with a great speech about how to leverage Twitter for your brand (PowerPoint deck coming soon) to the Social Media Breakfast – Milwaukee chapter. It’s funny to me that someone I work with showed up to learn how to use Twitter, even though we can’t “officially” use it at my day job. I also think it’s funny that on the first day of the 100 days of my day job that I’ve got 2 speaking engagements (in 2 different cities) so I have the day off. My second engagement is my Make a PLAN and Make it Great! speech that folks have really connected with. Simple stuff is best for me…and my audience.

Here’s a few random thoughts about what is in my head right now:

It’s finally hitting me that I have 100 days left. I’m both surprised and glad by this. I wasn’t sure if it would ever hit me. It’s becoming real, and I’m enjoying the discomfort and the unfamiliarity of it all.

Folks are finding out I’m leaving and wishing me well. Even people who would never dream of breaking out and doing their own things are being incredibly supportive, including many folks on Facebook, Twitter, and on my Last 100 Days Introduction post in the comments section. Thank you!

I’m more productive when I can focus on things. I always prided myself on being a great multi-tasker, that could do a lot of things at once. I realize that has contributed greatly to my inability to finish things I start. I had another weekday off this week, and I got a new product almost done. I’m going to take another day and complete it. And of course, as I’m writing this, my phone is going off, Twitter is going crazy, and I got distracted. So the writing is best when it’s quiet and I can focus. MUST. FOCUS. MORE!

People will be even more important to me as I make the leap. Jumping into my own thing means I won’t have the structure of coffee breaks and lunch to hang with people. I’ll need to be intentional and schedule times to connect with people. I need to focus on serving others needs even more, and make sure I create opportunities for folks to hear my message. I’m doing zero traditional advertising, and though I may get a landline for phone interviews, I have no intention of listing that number. People will make the difference in my life AND my business.

Coffee is better in a porcelain mug. Today is the first day in a LONG time I didn’t get a cup of coffee in a travel mug. It slowed me down…a lot…to drink it in a porcelain mug. No grab and go, just slow and sip. I like that.

I still am drawn to “check in” to work. I looked at my Blackberry. I logged into webmail. I want to know what’s going on, and if I can help. My team is fine without me now, they’ll be fine without me in 100 days. I need to resist the urge.

Tune in tomorrow for more in the journey toward my last 100 days.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10413717@N08/3192905722/

After 5 years of working a full-time job PLUS moonlighting on the side, I’m finally taking the plunge!

I’m leaving corporate America on May 31st, 2010, to do my own thing full-time. My own thing with the Make It Great Institute is 3 things:

• Professional speaking & training seminars
• Consulting/coaching/training with small/medium-sized business
• Writing

I thought it might be helpful for me (and hopefully for you) to write about what I’m doing to exit my day job as gracefully as possible, and to get out there what’s going on in my head as I transition into doing my own thing all the time.

Here are a few notes as we start the journey, and maybe for you to keep in mind if you’re planning your escape:

I am not independently wealthy – I’ve saved up some money in my 401(k), but I have very little cash in the bank to offer me a cushion to fall back on. I also don’t play the lottery so that won’t help me. And parentally, my dad is a retired dairy farmer, and my mom cuts the cheese for a living.

I don’t have 100 engagements lined up – I have a few speaking engagements lined up, and a few possible consulting gigs, and a few products that are nearly done that I’ll be sharing with you soon. I have a marketing plan that I’ll be implementing, and some clients that are interested in working with me.

I’m not afraid of failure – Truly failure is not something that scares me. If I lose everything, oh well. I know in my heart I’m going to be successful at this adventure.

I am a little nervous – I’ve never worked on my own before. I don’t know what it will be like to not have a clock to punch, a steady paycheck  to count on, or to pay for my own health insurance. This makes me a little nervous, but not a lot. I’m very intrinsically motivated, and I don’t expect this will be a huge adjustment, but this will be an adjustment nonetheless.

I need your help – I need you to help me stay on track, stay motivated and keep doing things that move me forward and not get distracted by all the crap out there. I also would love your help if you know anyone who wants to hire me to be their personal/business social media coach/strategist.

I will be selling my services and a few products here on the site – If that offends you, I’m sorry. I need to feed myself just like you do, and this will be the place I do much of that. I’ll do it in a tasteful way, I promise. And not all the time. Not to worry.

By the way, when you read this, it will be only 102 days until I leave corporate America. May 31st is Memorial Day, and my firm is closed, though they’ll be paying me until then. I’m going to post again tomorrow to give you a little bit more of my back story.

I appreciate your attention VERY much, and I’ll try to write every weekday so you know what I’m thinking and hopefully it will help you decide if making the leap is worth it for you.