It’s not always the best option to work for someone else. For me, the biggest problem I had when working for someone else was that I was always making THEIR dreams come true. NOT mine! When I finally realized that only I have my best interests at heart, it was hard to go back. I no longer wanted to work for someone else. I just didn’t believe in it anymore.
I chose to put myself first! Once I decided this, I took the steps to open my own business and now I’m 100% self employed. Even though there is still work involved, it allows for more flexibility and less stress in order to live my best life!
Now, I’m not saying not to work for someone else. I know lots of people who prefer to work for someone else because the pay is stable and their job is more secure. That is not the case when you are self employed. It requires hard work, dedication and nerves of steel!
BEFORE you make the decision to be self employed, you should take a look at your current work ethic as an employee. If you’ve had any of the issues below, you may not be cut out to be self employed.
1. Bad Attitude
This is like kryptonite for your job. A bad attitude will affect your business and can cost you sales!
2. Poor Work Ethic
Building a business from scratch is a lot of work, especially in the beginning. You are responsible for EVERY aspect of your business. Even if you decide to work from home doing your current job, you need to have good work ethic and discipline.
3. Don’t Take Initiative
It is your responsibility to design a plan for your business, regarding opening, operating and growing your business. There will be no one to tell you how to proceed with tasks.
4. You Procrastinate
There will be no one there to push you to meet deadlines. You are responsible for motivating yourself to get your work done on time. If you fall behind, there’s no one to help you catch up.
If you’ve decided to go ahead and become self employed, I promise you that working from home is an amazing experience! It provides a completely different environment than working for a company does. You are in your own safe space and don’t have anyone breathing down your neck about your work except for yourself.
For me, it allows a level of excitement about my work that is unparalleled to working for a company. I have been working from home full time for 3 years and I have promised myself that I will never work for someone again if I don’t have to.
Why I Won’t Work For Someone Again
1. No Control
I don’t like being told what to do by someone else. I always get my work done, but I prefer to do it my own way! I like having control of what I do, how I do it, when it is due by and what my current and future goals are for my business.
2. I Want to Focus on My Dreams, Not Theirs!
When you work for someone else, you are ALWAYS making someone else’s dreams come true! Don’t kid yourself! Companies do not truly care about their employees. They will work you ragged if you let them.
3. Not Enough Money
You work hard, but the pay is never enough. Raises are minimal and infrequent. Businesses only care about their bottom line! A business’s goal is to make money. This means that they will pay you as little as they can get away with to keep more profit for themselves.
4. Minimal Time Off
Working 9 – 6 with a commute allows minimal time to see your family and is exhausting.
5. Minimal Appreciation
It doesn’t matter how hard you work, you may never climb that ladder! Oftentimes, people don’t get promoted because they don’t have certain characteristics that the boss is looking for. So you may be working hard for them, but you might not be rewarded for your efforts.
How Does Working From Home Change You?
1. Increases Productivity
You are more productive because you are doing it for yourself! You are making your own dreams come true on your own terms which can be super exciting! No boss! Yey! Then you realize that you also have no income unless you work hard for it, so this naturally increases productivity.
2. Increased Focus
No more hanging around until 5pm because ‘that’s when you’re done’. You have set tasks to get done for the day and hopefully a general idea of how many hours it will take. And the best part is… when you’re done, you’re done! For example, I have 5 tasks to complete today and 4.5 hours to do it between 9:30am and 2:00pm. If I get all my tasks done by 1pm, then I am done! However, because I work for myself, I can also choose to either continue working until 2pm or later if I want. It’s always up to you!
3. Less Stress
No one is gossiping, no one is yelling at you and no one is breathing down your neck about deadlines. There is also no one trying to distract you from your work which means you can get it done faster and go home earlier! Woohoo!
4. You Are Happier
You are working in your house. It’s a more relaxed environment no matter what your setup is. So work inside. Work outside. Work in your office or on the couch. It’s only natural that within this type of environment you would feel happier.
5. More Time For Yourself
Now that you have no commute, you have at minimum an extra hour or more added to your day. You can use this time to add healthy routines back into your lifestyle or to catch up on your rest. Either way, the choice is yours!
How to Work From Home if You are Currently an Employee?
Maybe you’ve decided that you are not cut out to be self employed. Or maybe you don’t want to take the financial risk to start your own business. Either way, it’s okay if you decide you want to stay employed at a company. If you find yourself feeling this way but still want to work from home, you still have a few options.
1. Do Your Current Job At Home
Ask your boss if you can do your job at home. If you have an office job that involves a computer, this may be entirely possible so just ask! The worst that can happen is they say no.
2. Find A New Job
You can find a new job that will allow you to work from home as an employee. There are many companies that are looking for people to work for them and who don’t mind if the employee works from home.
If these two options won’t or haven’t worked for you and you still want to work from home, you may have to decide to start your own business. If you want to and are able to handle the financial costs, it can be very satisfying.
If this is you, there are a few options to choose from.
Start An In-home business
Step 1 – Choose An Idea
Brainstorm what you are good at, that people would pay you for. Maybe you like to make wood furniture. Maybe you want to sell paintings and crafts or maybe you want to provide services like I do. Choose an idea that you will enjoy doing long term and that’s also profitable.
Step 2 – Create Your Business Plan
Creating a business plan is the first step to having a successful business. Take your time. Be thorough and realistic.
Step 3 – Setup Your Space
Have an area in your home that is separate from your personal space. Purchase and set up everything you need for your business to open and be successful.
Step 4 – Open!
Yey! Time to open shop! Put your business plan into action and watch your business grow!
If you’re ready to open your small home business or brick & mortar business need help either creating your business plan or if you’re feeling lost and overwhelmed with the entire process in general, setup up a free 30 minute discovery call with Alexis to find out how she can help you. Book a call here or click the image below.
Start An Online Business
If you don’t want to take the financial risk, your other option is to start an online business.
Step 1 – Choose An Idea
Brainstorm what online business you would enjoy. If you like to write, start a blog. If you want to sell jewelry, start an online store. If you want to be an affiliate marketer, start a website/blog that refers people to products for a commission. Whatever you choose, make sure that it’s something that you’ll enjoy long term!
Step 2 – Create Your Business Plan
Creating a business plan is the first step to having a successful business. Take your time. Be thorough and realistic.
Step 3 – Purchase your website and domain name
Purchase your hosting service and domain name. This is the first official step in starting your business.
Click here to get super cheap hosting on a self-hosted WordPress site. You can setup your blog or a business website for less than $4/month when you sign up with Bluehost! The best part? With a self-hosted WordPress site, you have full control over how you advertise!
Step 4 – Set Up Your Site & Open!
Take the time to fully set up your site so that it looks complete and professional for when you launch it! Once you’ve completed the setup process, launch your site. Put your business plan into action and watch your business grow.
JOIN OUR START A SMALL HOME BUSINESS PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY!
If you’re interested in opening your own business or are already making plans to open your own business, I have an amazing Facebook community that I would love for you to be a part of! It’s a safe and positive space with other link-minded individuals all working towards the goal of owning their own small home-based business. Click here or the image to join!
No matter what you decide to do in life, we all have to make money somehow. So whether you open up a home business, start doing your current job from home, start an online business or find a new job to do from home, make sure you’re doing something that you enjoy and if you don’t love it, change it!
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