Anyone who knows me will know that I’m positive person; I’m
a glass half full kind of girl! Yes, I have my down days occasionally but don’t
we all? Setting up my business has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever
done and the self-belief I’ve needed to continue at times has been enormous! But
I’m doing it and living the life I want; working to live and not living to
work.
I couldn’t help but notice all the talk about zero hour
contracts in the news recently and felt inspired to write this post. I currently
know a lot of people on these types of contracts and have seen first-hand how
hard it is for them trying to juggle everything around the hit and miss nature
of this type of work. I was even tempted once, and before I started working for
myself I was offered work on a zero hour contract but when I actually weighed
it all up, I decided setting up the business was the better option of the two;
and as crazy as it seemed at the time would probably give me more security! How
right I was!
Now, don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been smooth sailing setting
up the business, it’s been a massive learning curve but I’ve felt in control
the whole time and for me that was really important. The leap into self-employment
is always going to be somewhat scary for anyone, but I found the thought of a
zero hour’s contract was equally scary! I would never know how many work hours
each week I’d get and it was always totally dependent on the requirements of
the employer.
I suppose you could say there is a direct comparison between
that and self-employment and I suppose to a small degree there is; you never
know what clients you’re going to have, what work is going to be available, who
might to use your service/buy your product – the list goes on, but at the end
of the day there’s something you can do about that, whereas with a zero hours
contract there’s not.
People often say to me ‘I couldn’t handle not knowing what
my monthly earnings were going to be’ and my reply is always ‘My income may not
be fixed, but that’s what’s exciting – the only limits are what I set, not anybody
else’.
So, in answer to my question – yes, working for yourself is
all it’s cracked up to be! It may not be all sweetness and light all of the
time, but that for me is what drives me on, my business will only ever be what
I put in and what I make of it, not anybody else.
If you’re thinking of setting up your own business and
weighing up the pros and cons, maybe this fab quote from Dhirubhai Ambani will
help! “If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build
theirs” it certainly keeps me going on the days when there are a few clouds
over head!
Follow your dreams!
