Do you really want to be self-employed or are you jumping on the “follow your passions” bandwagon? This thought hit me hard the other day. I don’t even remember how this question popped into my mind but it did. Every where that I turn these days the discussion tends to revolve around people hating their jobs and wanting to be self-employed. It’s now a very popular topic to discuss quitting your job. The idea of working for myself definitely entices me but I’m not sure if it would work out for me.
If you’re not sure if you truly want to be self-employed or if you’re just following the crowd, I suggest that you ask yourself the following questions:
Do you just hate your job?
Many people just hate their job so much that they think self-employment is the only answer. Is it worth trading in your boss for something worse? Demanding clients can be much more annoying than a incompetent boss. A toxic environment can really leave you disenchanted with the whole idea of working a 9-5 job. Maybe the problem could be that you need to switch companies or departments. Self-employment is not the only option.
Do you just want more money?
You could be in debt. You could have out of control spending. There’s a variety of reasons why you might be in a position where you want to earn more money. Working for yourself is not the only way to make more money. It’s actually one of the worst ways to make more money. You’re going to have to invest in your business, work long hours on it, and hope to make any money. The need for more money is not a viable reason for turning to self-employment.
Are you convinced that life will be better?
It’s becoming instilled in us that life will be one huge party when we become self-employed. I’m not sure that this is the reality. The promises of laying on the beach surrounded by beautiful women are not exactly accurate. You’re likely going to be stuck by the computer during all hours of the day trying to figure out how you’ll pay the bills. You’re going to have more freedom, but there’s never a solid guarantee that life will be better.
Do you want to work on your own projects?
This is the kicker for me. I really want to work on projects that I’m passionate about. When you’re employed at a company you’re going to be stuck with many assignments that you dread. As a self-employed person you choose what projects you want to work on. This is an excellent opportunity to shine and use all of that creative energy that you’ve been storing inside of you for all of these years.