If there’s an employment sector that’s booming at the moment, it is people turning self-employed or starting their own business. More people than ever now work for themselves and are enjoying the benefits of it. That’s not to say it is easy or without stress – when you are the business, paid holidays and sick time vanish. But there are plenty of reasons to considering working for yourself and here are five.
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1. Flexibility
Want to work from your local Starbucks for the afternoon? Going to stay with friends but still need to do some work? Have the space at home to make a home office? All of these are possible if you work for yourself depending on the nature of your job because it offers flexibility. There is no-one to tell you to come into the office or that you have to work these hours in this location. You do need to be able to do the job – secure internet connection, for example, is an important one. But depending on what you do, where you do it can be flexible.
2. Do what you enjoy
When you are the boss, you can do the work you enjoy. Of course, you need to make sure it is a viable business model and you can make money from it, but you can definitely focus on things that you enjoy rather than just doing a job to earn money. You can find your passion and use this to see what products or services you can offer to people or how you can help them with the problems they have using your skills. Or you can learn something completely different and start afresh.
3. There’s no limit to what you can make
When you work in a business you are stuck in a pay scale with other employees and there is a cap on what you can earn. When you work for yourself, there’s no limit to what you can make. You set your prices, you decide how many clients you can take on or how much of your product you can sell. There’s no-one to tell you that you can’t have a pay rise. Of course you do have to pay your taxes and national insurance!
4. You learn about other business aspects
When you do a job, you are in a set environment and the chance to learn is less frequent. When you work for yourself, you have to deal with all the aspects of being in business and this means you learn about stuff. Take tax and national insurance – you may need advice with your self-assessment but as you go through the process, you learn more about it. You learn about accounting, marketing, a little about business laws and regulations and a whole bunch of other stuff when you work for yourself.
5. You get tougher
Working a corporate job is tough but there’s always a sense of protection that in most cases you will get paid no matter what. When you work for yourself, you have to fight for your business and become tougher. You will learn to hustle, to network, to chat with potential clients and to take the negative feedback as a learning curve.
You can help others
Being your own boss might seem all about you but that isn’t the case. Firstly there are your customers who you are helping with your products or services. Then there are other businesses that you work with – accountants, virtual assistants, coaches or even others in your industry. Your work helps others in different ways as well as earning you a good living and meaning you can live your dream.
About Carson Derrow
