My Misconceptions of Self Employment
Working for yourself is great, if you can stand the boss! I thought I’d share some common misconceptions I had when I started my own business. These are purely my observations of what I thought life would be like as my own boss versus what it turned out to be.
Have More Free Time
Yes, self employment…my time is mine again. I’ll log a few hours of work everyday and then spend the rest of the day in a state of blissful leisure. Uh, yeah not exactly. I work more now than I ever have. Without the parameters of a “normal day” it becomes very easy to work all the time. I know find myself scheduling free time, just to make sure I get some.
No More Sucky Assignments
Once I started a business I thought that was the end of doing anything I didn’t want to do. Wrong again! Even when you are running the show there will be things that have to get done that are less than desireable. That’s just life, and I’m learning to live with it.
I Make All the Rules
“Hey this will be great”, I thought, “I make the rules now and everyone else will have to follow them!”. Not so fast. What I found is that I make some of the rules, but there are still plenty of rules I need to adhere by. Customers, suppliers, manufacturers, governing bodies, all have rules and if you don’t play by them you won’t stay in business long.
Won’t Have to Answer to Anyone
Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I think I answer to more people now than I ever did in a corporate job. Instead of having a couple bosses, I now have 1000′s of people I feel responisble to, and answer to. First and foremost customers, but again supppliers, manufacturers, and business partners are all people I’ve had to learn to answer to if not all the time, on occasion.
See Friends and Family More
This kind of went along with my thinking that I would have more free time. I thought I’d be able to take that extra day off and spend it with family, or stay up late into the night hanging out with good friends. Not only do I not have as much time to see them…they are all still Mon-Fri 8a-5p individuals. So if I find myself with a free Tuesday afternoon, everybody I know is at work!
Make a Bunch of Money
I make more now that I used to, but I work harder. The nice part of self employment is that relationship between working harder and making more. But without dedication to success and perserveance the money isn’t just going to roll in. Expect it to take time.
Everyone Will Be Supportive
I thought everyone would be in love with the idea of me starting a business, I mean I was excited how could they not be. What I found was that most were supportive. Some people thought I was crazy. Others thought I was “throwing it all away”. The bottom line is that not all of your friends or family will be supporitve of you idea of business ownership. Do what is right for you, follow your gut and don’t be discouraged if your mom threatens to disown you…she’ll come back around.
For those of you who own your own business, what missconceptions did you have about what life would be like?
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Photo Credit: coccu
The Joy of Self Employment!
Below is the first article of six in our $100 competition, submitted by Yan of Thoushallblog.com. Good luck to everyone who contributed an article!
Let’s face it. Who doesn’t want to be his own boss? Who doesn’t fancy the thought of writing his own paycheck? We all do, don’t we?
Self-entrepreneurship appeals to anyone. It is the ultimate dream for many people. You and I love the thought of being our own boss, setting our own hours, and watching the dream of owning our own business become a reality. The fact is not everybody wants to work for somebody else. No one wants to live from paycheck to paycheck. However, self-entrepreneurship isn’t necessarily made up for everyone. The rewards can be really satisfying but the road to it may be a long and bumpy journey. If you are thinking and considering starting your own business, you have to do some serious thinking and planning.
Ask yourself if you have what it takes to run your own business. Do you have a business plan? Are you a risk-taker? Do you communicate well with others? These are just some of questions, among hundreds of others, you need to self-examine yourself. The rush of excitement must be tempered by the necessary cost of time, money and effort in properly setting yourself up independently.
Money
If the financial independence to become your own boss appeals to you then you will need to weigh the opportunity cost before you release yourself from your current employment. Suffice to say, it’s advisable to keep your regular employment as your financial security before you roll up your sleeves and jump in. The last thing you need is to let the burden of financial worry cloud your judgement.
Time
Money aside, it’s important to recognize the time it takes to become self-employed. If you have other obligations; family, job, social etc. then you will have to consider if you can sacrifice and devote the time needed to get your business off the ground. The hours can be painfully long but none of this should be carried out at the expense of your quality time with your loved ones, family and friends. The key is to find the right balance between work and personal commitment.
Effort
Having discussed both money and time, you must also recognize that there are much more efforts required before a business can be profitable. As in most business new startups, you will come to the point when you are working your hardest and doing everything your business requires but still you are not seeing any monetary results, or at the very least a very meager one, and that’s where you’ll hit a psychological wall. Do not falter! This is where truly entrepreneurial individuals see an obstacle as an opportunities. This is the time when your passion is taken to the crudest test. Just remember that the bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.
Passion
Keeping your head in a time of difficulty is not always easy, but it does get easier if you are passionate in what you do. Passion will see you through it and overcome any perceived barriers. It will certainly keep you going and ultimately become very successful. Along with passion comes perseverance that will allow you to see the sweet fruits of your labor and prove to yourself and others that the joy of being your own boss far outweighs the initial pain of becoming one. To sum it up, the ultimate reason of self employment is the fact that you get a chance to be your own boss and be in charge of what to do, when to do it and how to do it. However, the road leading to it can be pretty rough but with passion and careful planning, the possibility is endless.
Yan is enjoying the fruits of his labor and still find the time to manage a blog that helps beginners to blog better. Get in touch with him.
Photo credit: Bethany Mae Photography
