Goal-Getters: 1-on-1 with Klara Cu (Digital Nomad)
“Goal-getter (noun): a Bad-A$$ who sets goals, takes risks, and never gives up to make their dreams a reality.”
The Goal-Getter series is committed to showcasing women who have made bold and significant career changes this year.
This series is committed to showcasing women who have made bold and significant career changes in order to go after their goals this year. In this installment of the series I had the chance to interview Klara Cu. Klara is the founder of Conquer The Digital Empire, a company created to help entrepreneurs turn their expertise into digital content in order to grow their businesses and expand their brands.
Prior to becoming the CEO of her own business, Klara had a successful and thriving career in the corporate space.
In our interview we discuss what it’s like to leave your 9-5 job when you actually are experiencing success and enjoying what you do, but know that you are called to do/have more.
Please share a quick intro of who you are and your business.
My name is Klara Cu, founder of Conquer the Digital Empire. I help online entrepreneurs turn their expertise into a digital product, course, workshop or coaching program. I’ve been a small business owner since 2008 and have worn many hats including User Experience designer, graphic designer, personal brand photographer, and Digital Business Manager.
I love supporting entrepreneurs during a launch and organizing their business systems so they can bring their vision to life without the overwhelm of doing it all on their own.
A common story line is people leaving their 9-5 for entrepreneurship because they are unhappy or not finding success in the corporate space, but your story is different. You were actually having a lot of corporate success, and still chose to pursue entrepreneurship.
Was that a hard choice for you to make? What thoughts went into your decision to embrace entrepreneurship despite your success in the corporate arena?
Entrepreneurship for me is about creative control and freedom. In a big company, you don't truly own anything and it’s rare to see 100% of your vision come to life. I worked on many amazing projects but there inevitably were times when certain ideas were rejected or watered down due to office politics and the limits of corporate culture. Being my own boss, I can try and test whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It’s an empowering feeling.
Also, the freedom to travel whenever we wanted was a huge motivator, too. No more feeling limited by the number of vacation days left or waiting for a holiday weekend to visit somewhere!
How did you transition out of your corporate position? What did that process look like for you?
My process included three distinct goals.
The first goal was to be financially secure enough to leave my job. I calculated my monthly expenses and determined how much money to save so that I had enough to pay bills and support myself for at least 5 months if I didn’t find any work on my own. I created a savings goal and put aside money from my paycheck each month towards that goal.
The second goal was choosing the my resignation date. Back then, my husband and I wanted to travel internationally and planned to use the Tokyo Olympics to kick-off a world-wide tour (we even got Olympics tickets!). The Olympics was originally set for July 2020 so we picked April 2020 as our departure. That would’ve given us several months to get used to working as full-time entrepreneurs and find renters for our townhome.
The third goal was informing my manager and team in a timely manner so they didn’t feel blindsided. I’ve always been taught to never burn bridges and being honest and upfront has always benefited me. As the lead designer, it was very important to me that I gave enough transition time. I loved my team and wanted to ensure my projects and duties transferred smoothly. I told my manager a year in advance of when I left so we could build a transition plan together. There was a lot of trust between us so I wasn’t scared about giving so much advance notice.
What have you learned about yourself and about being a business owner over the past year?
As a 9-5 employee, there’s a built in separation between work and personal time. As a full-time entrepreneur, that separation became super blurry. I was working from home, waking up when I wanted, working on the weekends and taking calls late at night.
I started feeling overwhelmed, especially since we were traveling at the same time, too. I often felt I was missing out on exploring the city because I was too busy working. So ironic since that’s why I left corporate in the first place!
What really helped was setting aside dedicated work days and defined meeting times. Mondays and Thursdays were work days and that’s where I scheduled recurring meetings. Wednesdays were free time. I don’t do any meetings on weekends anymore.
It will make a huge difference when you clearly when define you will and won’t work. You still have the freedom to create your own schedule but make sure you’re diligent in sticking to that schedule so you have time for what you enjoy.
You and your husband both decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship around the same time, which is inspirational because you both got to follow your dreams.
Did having your partner on a similar path help make it easier, or did that add to the "risk factor" of leaving the safety net of traditional work?
It was AWESOME that both of us wanted to do this at the same time because we could tackle the same goals together. For example, we both saved money from our paychecks to contribute to the Departure Fund. We also learned a lot more about each other during the process and how our strengths could complement each other’s businesses.
We were also blessed to have supportive parents who let us live with them when we rented out our townhome. They were the safety net we needed and I’m so grateful we have them.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about leaving their career path to enter entrepreneurship full time?
Make sure you have a supportive community in place when you make the transition, ideally with people who have gone through the transition already. Entrepreneurship can be lonely and unpredictable. Often the difference in feeling like giving up versus charging forward is the helpful advice and encouragement from mentors and peers. And invest in coaching if you can! The right coach keeps you on track to reach your goals and provides accountability.
And don’t be afraid to say no. In the beginning you may be tempted to say yes to any gig because you want the income. But figure out what you want to specialize in and hone in on that, even if it means saying no to other opportunities. Saying “no” actually helped me find ideal clients because their needs matched what I truly enjoyed doing. If someone asked me for a service I didn’t provide, I was happy to refer them to a specialist - which is great for networking as well. Win-win for everyone!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the audience?
If you want to launch your own digital course, webinar or coaching program, follow @conquerthedigitalempire on Instagram. My husband and I share tips and resources on launch strategy, brand design, video and tech needed to turn your expertise into a digital product.
If you’re interested in the digital nomad lifestyle, we’re documenting our adventures and travel tips as we road-trip across the US and other countries. We rented out our townhome, packed up our essentials in our Prius, and are living our dream of traveling while working. Follow us @adventureplusultra and let us know your favorites places to visit!
If you want to transition into entrepreneurship, learning how to leverage your current career skills could be the first step in your entrepreneurial journey.
Klara's top 2 StandOut assessment strengths are Creator and Advisor.
Book a Career Mapping session today to identify your strengths and develop a plan to use them to build your desired business.
