5 Steps to Start a Purposeful Business Without Quitting Your Job (Yet)
It all begins with an idea.
Not Sure What to Do with Your Life? Here’s How to Start Small, Stay Secure, and Build Something Meaningful
Feeling stuck in your career? You’re not alone. After a long career in intergovernmental organizations and the private sector, I reached a point where I asked myself:
What do I actually want to create?
What really matters now?
I felt there was still something else for me. You know that feeling when you’ve already achieved a lot, reaching a Director’s role, living in several countries, and even taking pretty good pictures of birds, but something deep inside still feels untapped? That’s exactly where I was.
Many of us dream of doing something meaningful—starting a passion project, a side business, or making a career change—but doubts show up:
I can’t afford to quit my job
I don’t even know where to start
What if I fail?
What I learned in my last full-time job is that you don’t have to quit overnight to start building a purpose-driven business. You can begin step by step. Starting while you’re still employed gives you the freedom to experiment, test ideas with your network, and build confidence and skills. You’re creating options for yourself, so when the time comes, you can make choices from a place of clarity and strength instead of fear.
In this post, you’ll discover five practical steps to start a purposeful side business while keeping your day job for now. These steps come from what has worked for me and my clients in shaping careers and lives we truly wanted.
Step 1: Clarify Your Why
Before thinking about business ideas, pause and ask yourself: Why do I want to do this?
One day, I sat down undisturbed and made a long list of things I care about. Then I shortened it to my top three values: space, freedom, and creativity.
Space gives me room to think and reflect without rushing.
Freedom lets me make choices aligned with my values instead of someone else’s expectations.
Creativity keeps me energized, helps me solve problems, and allows me to bring new ideas to life.
These values are non-negotiable for me. Once I realized that, I could clearly see what was important and what fit into my life and what didn’t. Through this exercise, I discovered how much I love being of service to others, walking alongside them as they create their own path. That’s when coaching emerged as something worth exploring.
And there is no better acknowledgment of what I do than hearing a client say, “It has been inside me the whole time,” when they finally figure out what they truly wanted to do.
Try this exercise yourself:
Write down three things you love doing.
Write down three problems you care about solving.
Write down three skills you already have.
(And if you think of five, write five!)
Look for the overlap. That intersection often points to where purpose meets practicality.
My client Martina loved beautiful things and dreamed of opening an accessories store. She also loved restoring old items and giving them new life. Her skill was curating and styling with a designer’s eye. That overlap led her to open a vintage lifestyle boutique, a business that made her excited to get out of bed in the morning.
Step 2: Test the Waters
I often hear people say they have to leave their jobs before starting something new. I’ll challenge that.
You don’t need to hand in your resignation to explore a business or career change. Start small:
Take a course
Test an idea with a few friends
Offer your skills to a local nonprofit or volunteer group
My client Dona did all three. She signed up for a coaching skills course, tested ideas with friends and family in a safe space, and volunteered as a coach for nonprofits to gain real experience. These small, low-risk experiments gave her clarity. They showed coaching was something she genuinely wanted to do and confirmed her desire to be of service to others.
Step 3: Be Intentional with Your Time
Balancing a job, family, and a new project can feel overwhelming. But when we spend our time intentionally, each step, no matter how small, moves us forward and starts to feel lighter.
Here’s what I invite you to try:
Block small pockets of time in your calendar and treat them as non-negotiable appointments with yourself.
Break big goals into bite-sized steps so they feel doable rather than intimidating.
Remind yourself that progress is meant to be slow and steady, not overnight.
Practice saying no to things that don’t align with your focus, so you can say yes to you.
Remember Step 1, when you clarified your values? Protecting your time means making conscious choices and letting go of what doesn’t fit so you can focus on what does.
My client Paul, who had recently lost his job, felt overwhelmed by all the possibilities and wanted to do everything at once. After designing a schedule, he committed 30 minutes a few times per week to search for a bridge role. Being consistent helped Paul the most. Now he not only has the bridge role but also the clarity and routine to start building his event management business.
Step 4: Build Your Support System
Having your own support system makes all the difference when you’re building something new. This might include:
A mentor or coach who will help you design a routine and keep you accountable
A friend who is also starting a business and with whom you can share ideas
A Facebook group or community that celebrates your wins
When I started coaching, I met others on the same journey. We practiced together, gave each other support, shared ideas, and celebrated every success, no matter how small.
A support system can’t do the work for you, but it reminds you that you are not alone and gives you the courage to take the next step.
Step 5: Take One Small Step at a Time
Ideas are exciting, but action is where the magic happens. Don’t wait for perfection. Start with what you have and adjust as you go.
This could look like:
Offering a free session to one person
Posting your first product online
Asking for feedback from someone you trust
My client Nina did exactly this. She offered marketing and branding services to friends starting businesses, asked for honest feedback, and collected testimonials. Those early steps gave her confidence and helped her refine her services to match what people truly needed. Each small step builds confidence. It wasn’t giant leaps but tiny, consistent steps that carried her forward.
Your Turn
You don’t need a huge binder or a 30-page plan. You just need to begin.
Pick one tiny action today: send an email, sketch an idea in a notebook, or block 30 minutes to plan or explore. Doing something moves you closer to your goal. Waiting won’t bring you what you want. Starting, even with one small step, will.
What ideas keep coming back to you? Are you waiting for the perfect moment to start, or have you already begun exploring? Share your thoughts with me at createwithmarcela@gmail.com. I read every message and would love to hear your story.
If you’re ready to move from clarity to action—whether shaping your vision, building first steps, or creating a business that feels true to you—book a Discovery Call. Together, we’ll explore how to bring your idea to life without the overwhelm, pressure, or doing it alone.