Working for yourself – is it all it’s cracked up to be?

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!