It has taken time to adjust to the slower lifestyle, says the former financial industry project manager, but it has been extremely liberating and fulfilling in ways they couldn't have imagined.
"We realised that our family's health and happiness was more important than anything, so we gave away or sold 90% of our possessions and moved to northern NSW with a car and box trailer containing all that we needed," Danielle said. "We have changed our entire lifestyle. My husband is now a full-time parent and we're surviving beautifully on less than a single income while I develop and market my apps [Baby Chalk, Cat Chalk, and Pug Chalk] and work as an app consultant. I'm also now helping others to realise their dreams."
So how do you make such a big leap of faith into the unknown?
1. Find your passion.
"Work out what motivates you, what problem you wish to solve or what product/business you want to develop. Then ask yourself why it's important to you. Many of your friends and family will tell you that you can't make money out of it, but don't listen to the naysayers. If it is a change you really want to make or an idea you're passionate about pursuing, then you will bring it to market. You just need to stay true to your vision and have the drive to do it."
2. Test your passion.
"You don't have to give up everything and take a massive risk straight away. Test the idea or proposal softly before you leave your full-time job to start your new business. Allocate two nights (or two early mornings, if you are like me) each week to developing a fake product or business. Photoshop a product mock-up, get on social media and aim to get 1000 sales enquiries; you'll learn so much.
I was still working full-time with two kids and getting up at 5am twice a week to work with a mentor in the US to develop my first app, and I did this for six months. You need to test whether you can sustain your enthusiasm and belief in the idea. Track your progress, look back and acknowledge how many times other events took priority.
When I finally quit work to become an app developer we moved to the outskirts of Sydney and rented for six months to trial our new country lifestyle. Once our money started disappearing, all the things that were truly of value to us became apparent. It forced us to really think about what we needed and wanted."
3. Surround yourself with experts.
"I started developing my own apps and initially failed, but failure is one of the best ways to learn. You don’t have to go it alone. Business incubators offer so much help and information, so search out which ones are operating near you. Don’t pay for access; find one that has options for very new start-ups. There are plenty of grants out there to take advantage of and joining the UNE SRI* has been one of the best moves for me as an app creator.
Be prepared to learn. I've had to teach myself everything about app development. Now I collaborate with others but continue to do all the creation, design and content management myself."
4. Seek good financial advice.
"Ask successful people (someone who is rich already) to recommend a good accountant. Ask the accountant's advice on the best structure for your business and seek a second opinion. I set up my company as a Pty Ltd and my accountant was not happy at tax time, but now I can do things I never could as a sole trader.
Taking such a big step demands a degree of financial security. Consider the financial back-up you will need to get you through the period of transition.”
5. Find a mentor.
"Seek out people doing what you want to do and ask them to be a mentor. This will be challenging as it is only the ones who have already succeeded that will have time to help you. So keep contacting until you find someone and ask them for referrals. This will help you narrow down your goal, while also enhancing your collaboration skills to convince someone you are worth investing time in. This last skill will be needed time and time again as you need to build more partnerships and collaboration arrangements for your business."
6. Spend a month creating a vision board.
"Put on the board all the things you see in your life as representative of success and what would make you happy every day. Keep it real and measurable. For example, 'Spend one hour a day playing LEGO with my son' is measurable and more likely to bring happiness, and be more achievable, than 'Become a millionaire'. Big things like a new house are okay, but be specific and find a picture of your ideal house (in the location of your dreams).
We needed to work out what it was we truly loved and valued. Was it travel or playing games together or bushwalking or bike riding or feeling healthier? We asked ourselves what it is we love doing but never have time for, and we tried to connect with that. If I had of kept it, I guarantee I would be able to tick off everything on my vision board from two years ago by this March, when our new eco-cabin will be built, which is incredible."
7. Pursue a healthy life.
"Introduce health into your vision board. Health, happiness and wealth are closely intertwined. If you can find a way to a healthier you, then chances are your passions will become more apparent. Be specific, what will you do daily to improve your health?"
8. Create financial motivation in a safe way.
"Find a way to make yourself poor; there is nothing like necessity to drive innovation. A safe way to do this is to lock up some savings in a term deposit for six months to two years (depending on how brave you are) and see if you can survive without it and make money through your business idea. Our savings reached rock bottom for real and it drove the best decisions for the business and our family. I wouldn’t recommend that, but maybe it is the only way to break the cycle of fear regarding money.
Once you realise money will come back to you once you are true to your goals, opportunities start to appear. "
9. Make the hard sell.
"Understand that whatever the idea or business you chose to develop, you will be the only sales person for a long while. Sign up to an online marketing course. Enroll in anything that will help you to learn the skills necessary to sell well and help other people to love your product."
10. Find your faith.
"Try to relax and go with the flow. I believe that the more true we are to what we need, the more the universe provides it. We are all connected. Put out there what it is you want and you will attract what you need. For me it was a better work/life balance and a healthier lifestyle for my children, and it happened.
Money is not our driver anymore. The more we have let go of money and tried to help others, the more money has come back to us. It's an amazing cycle. To me, it's about being true to what you believe in. We are now more connected to our health and environment, and more conscious in our thinking.”
Contact Danielle at catchalkapp@mail.com if you want help to realise your app dream.
* Danielle is a founder with the University of New England's SMART Regional Incubator (SRI), which provides administrative and business support for new businesses. It brings together academic business research, business mentors, corporate and community partners to help start-ups get off the ground and grow.
