I'm nervous about my personal brand.

First thing, quit your job.

As long as you're not competing with the company you work for, you should be fine.

In fact, you're in the best of both worlds as far as someone just starting out.

Your day job subsidizes your efforts at building the foundations of your own business.

Just don't let the quality of your workproduct at work suffer.

In my opinion you should start small and in the service type that did not compete with your company and make it grow from there. After you have more reputation and skill then you can start being 100% your own boss.

Hello
You're in front of a wall, but that wall is there for a reason, not to exclude you from something but to give you the chance to show how much you care to overcome it. The walls are there to stop the people who do not have enough will to overcome them.
Do not give in!

As long as there is no conflict of interest with your current company you should be ok.
However I would keep the day job until you've established yourself and can afford to leave your company.

Someone once said if your snooze button goes off more then 3 times change jobs
Just PM you let me know...

Keep doing this...

...until you are ready to leave your company and be your own boss.

Talk to your bosses, tell them about your side-business, and make sure they have no issues with it. If they do have a legitimate issue with it (interfering with work, competition, etc) then you have to make a decision to find another place to work and/or open your business.

Unfortunately, using a fake name, in a place that you live in, when you'll likely meet with clients, sounds like a recipe for disaster. All it takes is one customer finding out you're not who you say you are and suddenly your business has an issue.

You need to embrace who you are and what you can offer. Yeah you might be "a lowly assistant" now, but you clearly have higher plans than that so that's what you should focus on.

Use your name and own your craft. If you don't think your work is good enough then get better! You can use the time you have as being an assistant to be learning day and night about internet marketing and strategies you don't know so that when it's time for you to leave and go off on your own, you won't doubt yourself anymore.

DO NOT quit your day job just yet - you will regret that hasty decision very quickly! Very bad advice from someone who doesn't know your situation.

The only reason you should consider quitting is if you have made consistent income that meets or surpasses your day job income. And I would suggest you make that online income for at least six consecutive months so you know that you have the resources to turn your back on your current income.

Now, the main issue you face is how your current boss would view you "moonlighting" in Internet marketing since you could be seen as being unloyal to or competing with your employer.

I would find out how he views the possibility that you might go into IM on the side. You don't have a business just yet, so you shouldn't be accused of anything other than putting out "feelers" to test the water of your idea.

If your company, in their stated or written policies, or after talking to management about their work expectations, balks at the idea of an employee doing what you're proposing . . . I would put the brakes on quickly so as not to be seen as a competitor. You can still begin to work on a personal marketing career . . . but there are ways to stay anonymous and non-threatening until you leave your current employment.

But if the company is OK with employees doing what you're proposing, then it should be fine for you to move forward. If that is the case, begin your "sideline career" in online marketing in a way that would not be seen as competing with your employer. There are many ways to do that . . . but everything begins with understanding the marketplace for small business marketing. Why? It's simple . . . you need to understand the marketing needs, desires, and issues of small businesses (your future clientele).

In addition, your current employer might become the source of great leads for your new business if you maintain a good relationship with your boss!

Once you understand what your clientele are asking for - you will then be in a position to find ways to give that "thing" to them. This business is all about solving problems and selling those solutions to business owners.

By the way, when you do begin your online marketing career, it will be best to use your own name. Fake or pen names are fine for authors, but as a marketer you should be real, genuine, and truthful about yourself and what you do.

Good luck to you,

Steve

Don't quit your job just yet. You are just starting and you will still need the income that you get from your day job as marketing assistant.

Why don't you make a portfolio of the work that you have done before? You can add a link to your blog and this will also give you credibility as far as your previous work. You really need to make a name for yourself if you ever want to start making any sales online though. I read somewhere that somebody has to visit your site 7 times in order to purchase anything, so it's very important that you use an autoresponder or get them to at least subscribe to your newest posts. I wouldn't expect to make much the 1st year because of Google, but if you continue to keep adding content, you could do pretty well the 2nd year. It's worth the time invested to have a way to make extra income