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Self-Employment-Is It For Me?

 The first skill you must have is complete and utter self-confidence in yourself.  If you don’t have self- confidence, can you fake it until you do? Do you know in your heart of hearts that you have the capacity to commit twice as much time than you planned, three times the effort and time you estimated, and practically every nickel of your hard earned money for taxes, membership dues, equipment, software, and office supplies for the next three years to build your business?  

Being a self-starter means more than getting up before the alarm clock rings.  You must be creative in finding ways to provide your services to clients that didn’t realize they needed them but will be thrilled that you can provide them.  Anticipating the needs of your clients by adapting to rapid change is a skill and you can start learning today.  Start saying yes to every new experience, at the very least be willing to say you are willing to try.  Do what you love and doing business will be a pleasure that will be reflected in voice and smile every single day.  Your customers will see and respond to that pleasure. 

If you are always running late, never on time and constantly over-book yourself you can bet your business will fail.  Time management is an essential cornerstone for building your business.   Can you accept the fact that there will be days when you hate life but the deadline still needs to be met and the only acceptable reason for a delay is because the house burned down and you were in it? 

Look in the mirror, if you see someone who wants to work for herself because it will be easier than working for some one else, you are not self-employment material.  Your skills cannot just be good, they must be excellent.  Every single time.  No exceptions.  Everything that goes out that door has your company’s reputation on the line.  Your customer wants results not excuses.  Take courses on line if you must, but make sure all the skills you are offering are the best you can provide.  

Taxes and expenses are the only items guaranteed to be more than you expect or budgeted for.  And the income will be less than estimated.  There is no asking Uncle Sam for more time – you must be iron willed in setting aside the money to pay him first.  There are lots of web-sites that tell you how to price your services – pay careful attention because your pricing structure can make or break your business faster than you can imagine. Do not co-mingle your business money with your household funds.  Ever.  Change an existing checking account with your name and a DBA (doing business as) if you need.  

Without unending family support your business will not last.  Speak with each member of your family about what they especially can do to help you succeed.  This is no time to speak in generalities – assign them household tasks every single day that is age appropriate.  Let them know that you are depending on them and that every time they complete them they are helping your business by giving you the time you need to work at it.  Talk about the benefits of being self-employed and don’t forget to laugh together when things don’t turn out the way they would have if you had done it. 

On those ugly days when everything is going wrong, take a deep breath, look in the mirror and give yourself the biggest smile you can – because you have what it takes and you know it! 
 
 

Posted:Friday, February 01, 2008