Being self-employed can be an emotional roller coaster. On one hand, it can be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done or will do in your life and can seem like you are living the dream. On the other, it can be one of the scariest most challenging things you will ever do in your life.
For people that are employed and head to that 9-5 job, self-employed people have it all. They can work their own hours; work the days they want to, make their own rules, and do not have anyone to boss them around. However, when we look closer at being self-employed, it can be daunting and downright scary if you are not prepared.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not telling you not to become self-employed if you feel it's something you're thinking about, but there may be a few things you need to think about before you quit your job.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at some of the most shared challenges facing the self-employed and look at ways we can approach and handle these.
Anyway, let's get into it with the first one.
1. Feeling lonely and scared
One of the few things we take for granted when we work for a company or from an office environment is the people we work with. That interaction between another human being. Being able to turn around and ask joe sitting behind you for his advice or suggestion. When you are self-employed and working from home, you can lose this interaction with other people, and it can become very lonely and, in some cases, quite scary.
You are now faced with making all the decisions yourself. Not being able to bounce that idea off Joe and have him challenge you is now gone... what happens if you make the wrong one?
Working from home alone to some people might seem to be a perfect life. Nobody to bug them, annoy them, or disturb them...but if you know you're the type of person that works better having friends or workmates around and grabbing that coffee and catching up with people in the office, then you should look at what options are best suited to you. Maybe working from a serviced office, or in a shared office environment might still give you the freedom you are looking for, but also give you the interaction that you need with other people.
Next time we will look at the issue of not creating that work and life balance. Some people forget why they started their own business and wanted to work for themselves. We will be talking more about how to get that work-life balance and making sure you structure your day so you can separate work from home life.
As always, I am interested in your feedback and what you have to say. Please feel free to drop me a line, or even make any suggestions about what I might have missed.
For more information relating to this article or for further advice, please do not hesitate to contact the writer at ian@tfbs.com.uk or visit our website at www.tfbs.com.au