Every day more people are breaking the mold of the typical boss and employee relationship and branching out to self-employment. There are many reasons that working for yourself is more appealing, but there are also many myths that may hold you back. This article will discuss some of those myths and give you the truth that may help you make the decision whether to fire your boss or stay where you are.
1. Working For Yourself Means You Have To Be Available Always
Many people think that self-employment means that they are going to be working around the clock, seven days a week. While this could be a reality if you let it, the truth is that you can (and should) take time off during the week for your personal life. Your business will survive even if you take time off.
It is important to find a work-life balance no matter where you are working, and if you are working for yourself, then you have to be accountable for taking that time away from your business. Without balance, you will not be as productive at work. Your brain needs a rest from work in order to function at its full potential. In addition, if you work too much, you will neglect important life matters that you may regret neglecting in the future.
When you are working for yourself, it is important to make a plan of what times you will work during the day and what days of the week you want off. Of course, this is flexible, but having an outline will help you stick to it and get the balance your life needs.
2. Working For Yourself is Risky
Many people will tell you that breaking free from the security of a job is ridiculous. In reality, a job does not offer as much security as working for yourself does! Who knows when you will walk into work and, like millions of other people, hear the words “We have to let you go.” You have no guarantee of a job tomorrow or next week when you work for someone else.
However, when you work for yourself, you make all the decisions about the business and what will happen. Your success (or job guarantee) is a result of how much effort and dedication you put into it unlike an employer who decides how successful you are no matter how hard you work.
3. Working For Yourself is Stressful
While it may take more brainpower than working for someone else, working for yourself is really less stressful than the average job. Unlike a job, you don’t have to wonder what the next move is and whether or not it will be successful; instead, you make the next move based on an educated guess as to its success.
For example, if the company you are working for is thinking about closing the branch you work at, then that is stressful. Alternatively, if you think about stopping a certain section of your business that is not working well, then that is just a good choice for you and your success, and it is not stressful.
The most stressful part of working for yourself is being accountable to yourself. However, if you have the dedication and drive to succeed, then you will consistently make choices that benefit your future success. Moreover, you will always be in control of your future.
4. It is a Lonely Way of Life
Many people believe that work is valuable because it gets you out into the world and allows you to socialize with people every day. They believe that working for yourself will be lonely and isolating and cause you to become an introvert that is sad about the way your life has gone.
That is so not true! The truth is that working for yourself allows you to deal with people who YOU want to deal with instead of being forced to socialize with people who annoy you, get in your way, or affect you negatively.
Business partners, affiliates, and employees are all people who you will have to socialize with when you work for yourself (if you want to), and they will generally be people who you trust and like.
In addition, you will get to spend more time with family and friends. How is it lonely when you are creating more time for people you want in your life? You will never miss the co-workers that you were forced to work with everyday. And anyone you did like at work can be a friend of yours as you pursue your own business.
5. It’s Too Hard To Work For Yourself
You may not know anything about taxes and being self-employed. You may not know how to build a website for your business. You may not even know where to start! This can cause you to back away from working for yourself because it seems hard.
The beauty of working for yourself, in any way, shape, or form, is that there has been someone else who has done it before you. And if there hasn’t, then there has been someone who has done something similar. All you need to do is follow the steps they took and start moving forward. Everything will fall into place along the way.
In addition, if you really don’t want to learn an aspect needed for your business, then you can outsource that part to people who do know what they are doing. For instance, there are people who will build you a website, maintain it, and promote it! There are also people who will do your accounting for you and ensure you are following all the rules you need to follow. This is true for every aspect of business.
Remember, you are going to have strengths that led you to work for yourself, and those should be the things you focus on most, because that is what makes it so joyful. For instance, let’s say you wanted to sell a product that you created. Your focus should go towards making sure that product is the best product it can be for customers, and how you can create more products like it.
In the end, there are many myths about working for yourself that may be holding you back from doing it, and I hope I dispelled some of the most popular myths for you today. The bottom line is that you work half of your life, so you might as well do it on your own terms. Whatever feels more exciting to you is where you should be.