Take a Leap in the New Year: ‘You Can Always Go Back to Doing What’s Safe’

Taking a risk is always scary. There are so many things to consider: Your family, security and fear of failing…to name a few.

Here’s the twist: The best things in life often come after a big risky leap into the unknown. With the right motivation, support and a lot of hard work, taking a risky leap is often just what you need to move your career to a whole new level.

Take it from CyberCoders President Heidi Golledge who gave up running her small, successful financial services firm to co-found CyberCoders 15 years ago—all while raising two small daughters.

“I worked as a recruiter until we had 50 recruiters and was the only manager until we had 70 recruiters,” Golledge recently told Forbes. “A lot of the financing came though my own sales efforts–bringing in my own deals and closing them.”

Today CyberCoders has scaled to over 250 recruiters and is one of the fastest growing companies in its industry. And last month, CyberCoders was sold to On Assignment for $105 million.

What drove Golledge to go after something bigger rather than play it safe? Here are three pieces of invaluable advice for those of you toying with the idea of taking the plunge into bigger, scarier territory in your career in the new year:

1. Build a Cushion of Savings to Lessen the Fear

Preparing for the worst case scenario is a great way to ease your fears of making a big, uncertain career move. Golledge suggests first focus on building a cushion of savings that can support you in case things go wrong.

Remember: ‘If the business doesn’t take off, you can always go back to a career that’s safe. But if the business does succeed, she tells Forbes, “it’s life changing.”

2. ‘Just focus on a few things—and do them exceptionally well’

When Golledge saw the impact of Monster.com on the recruiting space, she knew she had to zero in on developing the best recruiting software.

“Focus on a few things—and do them exceptionally well vs. doing a lot of things kind of well,” Golledge told Forbes. Her focus on leading the way to the best, most effective technology is a huge part of CyberCoders' unprecedented growth today.

3. Follow Your Inspiration  

Golledge has always been passionate about technology and its power in helping people change their lives for the better. And she was particularly inspired by the dot com boom. Her passion was a force in nudging her to take the leap.

Golledge decided giving up her financial services firm was worth running a tech-oriented recruiting firm. Again, “you can always go back to doing what’s safe. These windows of opportunity open up. It’s almost like you have to take them.”