Self Employment – Is it Where You Really Belong?
It’s tough to think about self employment when you’ve been an employee of someone else for most of your working life. Well, it isn’t tough to think about it, but it’s probably difficult to do it. It might not be.
Could it be time to try your hand at entrepreneurship? Do you have what it takes? How would you know if you’ve never tried it?
I believe that there are generally two forces that act upon us –the push and the pull – and these determine what we do.
Let’s look at the “push†factors for getting out of your current employment situation:
- get out from under your boss and their boss and their boss
- get out of the rut they call a job
- the raise you didn’t get
- the time off you weren’t allowed to take
- the dead wood co-workers you have to work with
- lack of recognition for your achievements
I think that’s plenty of examples of “push†that might fit the average hourly and salaried worker.
Now, let’s look at the “pull†factors that beckon you to start your own enterprise:
- get pay for performance
- set your own hours
- follow your heart
- be self directed
- try out new things
- earn higher income
- be treated right for a change
That seems to be plenty of “pull†factors in favor of self employment.
Now, it’s up to you to see what your list of “push and pull†factors looks like. If there are plenty of both, then perhaps investigating entrepreneurship is the next step for you. If you have lots of things pushing you out of a job and pulling you into your own business, then it seems like you owe it to yourself to investigate doing your own thing.
I suggest you spend some time with a business owner and get a feel for what it’s like to run your own business. Can you handle the demand? Can you get startup funding, and are you willing to work hard and “spin†lots of plates all by yourself? What about a partner to help with the workload?
The choices are many, but for those with a streak of self reliance in them, they know that the choices are all theirs to make.
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Clair Schwan has a decided focus on self reliance. He grows vegetables, raises small animals, heats his home with wood, and does many maintenance and repair projects himself. He has been self employed for more than 10 years, and manages multiple business interests as a management and technical consultant, and as a writer for print publications and the web.
This article was featured on a blog carnival at Working at Home on the Internet.