In an earlier post, I profiled Sue Hayden, an EVP at fast-growth technology company Polycom and her advice on corporate “cliff-jumping” across different companies and industries. Recently, I heard from corporate cliff-jumpers of a different sort -- executive women who cliff-jumped from corporate to entrepreneur. Here are lessons from four savvy women who successfully made the leap to start their own business:

Lesson 1: You may not feel 100% ready but you will adjust

Michelle Ghilotti Mandel, CEO of Michelle Ghilotti Int'l and former creative media strategist for brands such as got milk?, Starbucks, HP and Nike:

I knew I was ready because it's all I kept thinking about. At some point, the drive and desire to go out on my own was larger than the desire to stay oddly comfortable in corporate. With knees knocking, I jumped. Having faith in yourself is indeed key.  However, the main thing that's worked for me in this entrepreneurial life the last 15 years is jumping. No, all those other people haven't lied to you, the net truly does appear.

Lesson 2: Face time won’t help you anymore – you have to work smarter

Angelique Rewers, Small Biz Strategist & Speaker, The Corporate Agent and former head of financial and employee communications for a Fortune 100 energy company: 

Putting in long hours for the sake of putting in long hours was seen as a badge of honor in the companies for which I worked. Being seen at the office at 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening showed that you were committed -- and, quite frankly, what led to the promotions, the bonuses, and the big offices. When I left corporate and started my own business in 2006, it took more than a year for me to figure out that my entrepreneurial success was not going to be about how many hours I was working -- but rather, what I was choosing to do with the time that I did put in.

Read 2 more lessons in my latest Work In Progress post for Forbes.com.: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/14/before-you-leave-corporate-to-start-your-own-business-learn-these-lessons/

Caroline Ceniza-Levine helps people build fulfilling and financially-rewarding careers, as the co-founder of SixFigureStart®.   She is the co-author of “Six Steps To Job-Search Success” 2011, Flat World Knowledge and “How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times” 2010, Two Harbors Press.  She is also a stand-up comic with Comic Diversity.