Fail to plan, plan to fail. Leaving your job is more than a notion. If you’re doing it to start a company of your own, the first thing you need

to do is put a business plan together. It needs to consist of short and long-term goals that you can realistically accomplish over the next 12-24 months. If you’ve never seen

one before, click here. Another great resource site is SBA.gov. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a new job, a smart move is to

create a resume that you can submit online. That way, prospective employees can click on a link enclosed and everything they need is right here. (Click here for

more details on that.)

If you don’t get out much, now would be the time to change that! Networking significantly increases your chances of meeting just the right people so that you can land

that new gig. And just how do you find these kinds of opportunities? One place to start is with social media. LinkedIn is one of our favorite places to

generate invites. Something else you can do is visit networking sites like Meetup and Eventbrite; those are places where you can look for local events in

your area. Another idea is to contact your local Chamber of Commerce. They usually have a free local business listing and a way for you to get on the guest

list for upcoming events. And, don’t forget to put the word out with your friends. Some of them are bound to have networking hook-ups that they may not have mentioned

because, well, you weren’t looking to leave your job before.

Whomever said that looking for a job IS a job ain’t neva lied! No one is going to know about all of the knowledge, talent and skills you bring to the

table if you’re not putting yourself out there. It’s not the smartest idea to look for new gigs while you’re actually at work. But at least devote an hour a

day, before or after going in, to seeing what’s out there. And, if you’re thinking about starting something on your own, use that time to do research on your potential

competition and guerilla marketing.

Please (PLEASE) don’t miss this one! It would be awesome if you landed the job of your dreams immediately, but that chance is pretty slim. That said, you really do

need to wait until you have something before leaving what you’ve got. But if you do decide to take a leap of faith and quit without having something waiting in

the wings, it’s important to have no less than 4-6 months of expenses saved up. Listen, if you thought your job was stressing you out, just think about how you’ll

feel trying to pay rent when your bank account has less than $100 in it. (Exactly.)

If you were fortunate enough to have the kind of job that provided health and dental insurance, take advantage of that. Get a full physical and dental cleaning before you

make your exit. That gives you at least 12 months of not having to worry about medical expenses (crossing fingers on this one).

Leaving your job can be a scary thing. Something that can help to take a lot of the edge off is to get a mentor. Someone who has some of

the expertise and wisdom that you need to take your career to the next level. Keep in mind that a mentor is not necessarily a friend and usually not a

peer. It’s someone you have a friendly business relationship with. You meet them once a month or so to talk about your goals and they provide you with insight on

how to reach them. Tips on how to find the right one for you are here.

For the love of all that is smart and sacred, DO NOT tell your boss, supervisor or any co-workers of your intentions! They can’t legally remove you simply because you’re

planning to go, but they can be passive aggressive in their approach of making you so uncomfortable that you want to quit before you're actually ready. There’s no need to

broadcast your intentions. Stay responsible, do your work well and when it’s time to exit, simply do so. No drama. A great motto for this year!