| 4 Reasons to Work for Yourself |
By Arthur Cooper
(c) Copyright 2003
Almost everybody working as a paid employee of someone else must at
some time or another wished they were their own boss. Nearly everyone
at some time or another thinks that they could run things better if
they were in charge. Whether in a shop, in an office, in a factory, -
wherever - most people at some point think about becoming self
employed.
For many it is just a passing thought, and they remain perfectly
happy working as employees. Some of course rise to high positions of
responsibility within companies owned by other individuals or by
public shareholders.
For others it becomes a real obsession and they make the break and go
off to run their own businesses with greater or lesser degrees of
success. They are fulfilling their dream.
Still more, though, continue to dream and to wish but never take
action. They never make the break. If you are still wavering, here
are just some of the reasons to consider why you might prefer to work
for yourself.
1.Freedom and Responsibility
As your own boss you are free to do as you like. Nobody is there to
order you to do what you don't want to do. No-one will tell you
to arrive early or work late. You won't have to do the menial and
routine tasks that need doing if you don't want to. You won't
have to be nice to unpleasant customers if you don't want to. You
have total freedom to do as you want.
But of course the other side of the coin is responsibility. It comes
with the freedom. You are free not to do certain tasks, but it is you
that is responsible for the consequences. You choose. Nobody forces
you. You decide what is worth doing and what is not. And once you
have that freedom of action it is surprising what you will happily do
that you would not have done before.
Why do so many self employed people work long hours and sometimes do
apparently menial tasks without complaint? It is not just because
they are struggling to make ends meet. Many very successful self
employed people continue to do these things. It is because the whole
game has changed for them. They enjoy the challenge of building their
businesses. They see that what they do now will benefit them later.
They take pride in what they are doing. The same task becomes so much
more satisfying when working for themselves.
2.Money
Yes. This can be a real motivator. Very few people achieve real
wealth by working for someone else.
Certainly you can earn a very good salary indeed in some companies
and achieve a high material standard of living. At the very top of
big enterprises financial rewards can be large. Nevertheless, the
really big jackpots are hit by men and women who start up their own
businesses.
But lets be realistic. The big jackpots and the huge fortunes are
few. Most of those who run their own concerns will never be amongst
the super rich. Some may never achieve more than a very modest
living. But make no mistake, money is there to be made and the
chances of making it working in your own business are far more than
if you are working for someone else. It is the same old story. Risk
and reward. If you take the risk you have a chance of getting the
rewards. If you don't take the risk you don't get that
chance.
3.Security
This may seem a strange reason for going self-employed. Surely you
are more secure in a salaried job than you are working on your own
account? These days it is not so obvious. The days of working all
your life for a single blue chip employer have long gone. No company
is immune from the storms of national and international affairs. No
company is free from the effects of economic downturns and
international competition. You are as secure as the length of your
notice period. A month? Three months? A year even? None of these are
very long compared to your working life.
At least as your own boss you are in control of your destiny. You do
not have to watch helplessly as bad management wrecks your company.
You don't have to suffer the consequences of short term pillage
of the company to the detriment of long term viability. You don't
have to put up with the consequences of others' imcompetance. You
alone are in change.
It is for you to decide your own strategy. You can decide your own
balance between security and risk. You can base this on your own
criteria, and these may change over time. You may start off prepared
to take high risks to achieve your initial aims. As time goes by you
may prefer to lock in the gains and build up a level of personal
security to safeguard your achievements. As you approach retirement
you may be a lot less inclined to take risks than you were when you
were younger - or maybe your still are. The point it that it is
entirely in your own hands. You decide.
4.Satisfaction
The satisfaction gained by doing something yourself can never be
equalled. To know that you have achieved something worthwhile by your
own efforts alone is enormously satisfying.
Those ordinary people who decide to run a marathon will never be the
fastest or the best, but their pride in their achievement knows no
bounds. A man who builds his own little boat in his back yard over
many years has a product that to him is fabulous even though probably
no better than one bought from the supplier. Their satisfaction and
sense of achievement is of the highest simply because they did it
themselves
How much more so with your own business? In business you really can
aim to achieve the best. You can make the best product or give the
best service. You can do things a better way. And each step along the
way you can say "I did that', "that was my decision',
"I am responsible for that', "I did it my way'.
=======
Arthur Cooper is a freelance writer and publisher.
He previously worked in a variety of industries and in several
countries in technical and management roles.
For more of his articles go to:
http://www.barrel-publishing.com/articles1/
|
Back to Articles Index
|
|
 |
|
