Today’s nurse is often looking for different nursing jobs. Whether you are researching non-clinical jobs in nursing, different nursing jobs, or how to become a nurse entrepreneur- there are many types of nurses in today’s day-and-age.

The way I see it is that there are three options you have. One is to stay in clinical nursing and apply entrepreneurial tactics to your nursing career. The second is to make a change from one type of nursing job to another, still using a new skill-set (entrepreneur techniques) to make a successful career change. The third is to leave conventional nursing altogether and start your own business.

Each are pretty awesome because what these options tell me is that a) your open to new ideas; b) you want to thrive, enjoy and love your career (wherever you find yourself); and c) you’re ready, willing and able to make a change. In today’s post, I am going to share with you a simple four-step process to becoming a nurse entrepreneur.

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1. Foundation: This process is called my FASTrack to Total Success. I have taught this process with respect to our health and well-being, however it applies here as well because the framework is the same. The first thing you need to do is create a strong foundation. Instead of jumping right into business for yourself (scary, risky and oh-so-overwhelming!), you want to start with some building blocks. In this phase of becoming a nurse entrepreneur, you may want to keep your job (part- or full-time, whichever you can swing) and build your business during your time off. The foundational components of becoming a nurse entrepreneur consist of things like getting clear on your vision, creating confidence in yourself, and building a brand.
2. Action: Once you have some sturdy ground to stand upon (a website, growing network, and systems for getting your brand out there), you want to take action. What action? Well, while there is many, one word of advice is this: each day take at least one action step to move your business forward. If there’s too much to do and you’re feeling overwhelm, confusion or anxiety- just take one action step. Give a talk. Call a potential client. Make a quality partnership online. Other actionable items for the nurse entrepreneur include things like sending a routine stay-in-touch, content-rich ezine; writing an eBook; or hosting a video summit. Another word of advice: avoid taking on too much at one time or nothing will get done!
3. Sustaining: This is such a huge piece to becoming and being a successful nurse entrepreneur. Because if you don’t sustain what you do overtime, where will the money come from? One key component of sustainability is ensuring that you built the sturdy foundation upfront. So if you’re reading this step and thinking to yourself that you don’t have all of the pieces in place, you may want to slow things down. On the other hand, if you’ve been in business for some time and are feeling pretty good about your success- but are ready for a shift- maybe it’s time to look at the things you are currently doing. What is working? Can you repeat a successful offer you’ve made or event you’ve held? How do you keep in touch with your network? In what ways can you continue to grow your reach- both online and in person?
4. Total Success: Now of course everything above makes for a successful business, but what’s important to add here is two things. One: you need to be you. There are lots of nurse entrepreneurs out there and it can be intimidating. You may feel you have to ‘keep up’ with what another business is offering or doing. The very best way to run a successful business is to show up as yourself. The second thing? Have fun! If you start to feel overworked, drained or frustrated- you will fall into a cycle that you may find familiar from your clinical nursing days: nurse burnout. To me, nurse burnout isn’t just about the nursing profession- it’s about how we work in our jobs (whatever they may be) and how we live our lives. The most important thing to do in order to have a totally successful business is to have fun doing it.

Now I’ve provided you with the overarching four-step process here. The information I’ve given you is meant to spur your creative and strategic thought. Of course there is a TON more that goes into building a successful business as a nurse entrepreneur. And remember, going into business for yourself is not for everyone. So if you’re reading this blog and thinking ‘this isn’t for me‘- great. Wonderful awareness to have.

As I said at the start of this post, wherever you find yourself- you can use entrepreneurial strategies to thrive in your nursing career. And if you’d like to learn more, consider joining us for this fall’s Your Next Shift Workshop. We will be going into these and other mindset, entrepreneurial and energy techniques together. Grab your seat by clicking here.

What do you think? What step did I miss? What would you add to this list? Have you tried any of the above? Are you interested in being a nurse entrepreneur or do you already consider yourself to be one? I’d love to hear from you so go ahead and leave your comment or question below. Thanks for reading!