Calling the shots and making your own schedule are just a couple of the benefits of being your own boss. No one to tell you what to do, right!? After being my own boss, I can tell you it comes with pros and cons. Sometimes what seems like a good thing can actually be a bad thing. Sure I’m the one calling the shots but there’s no one besides me to take responsibility when the wrong shot was called. But on the other hand, I have the final say on the decision. Let’s look at some good things and some not so good things and then a list of ideas where you can be your own boss.
Pros of Being Your Own Boss
Flexibility
You can choose what you do when. You can choose who your clients or customers are (mostly.) Want to have meetings in the morning and do your bookkeeping in the afternoon? It’s up to you. You have the flexibility to do what you want to do when you want to do it. Only want to work three days this week and six days next week? You can do that. Only want to work on projects that you like, you can change the type of projects you work on
Decision Making Control
Don’t you hate it when someone “above” you makes a decision and you don’t agree. When you’re the boss, you have control and the final say on decisions. When faced with tough decisions, you are in control to make the choice.
Setting your own schedule
Back to the flexibility, you can choose when you start and end your day. You choose your availability and if you want to work more or less. You can choose what days during the week you want to work and which days you don’t want to work. Need vacation days? You approve your own vacation days.
Cons of Being Your Own Boss
Inconsistent income
The flexibility is GREAT and setting your own schedule is so relaxing! Life is good… until you need to pay bills. Taking a week off means no income for a week. But the next week you might work twice as hard or have double the number of paying clients. You have to be a master budgeter when you are self-employed and have a healthy savings account balance to weather the storm of inconsistent income.
Responsible for Decisions
While it’s great to have full decision making authority, you also have to take full responsibility for the decisions. What no one talks about when it comes to taking out a business loan, for example, is that they require a personal guarantee. A personal guarantee means you as an individual are financially responsible for the repayment of the loan. When you’re the boss, you’re the one who has to fix the mistakes of your decisions… and if you have employees, your employee’s decisions as well.
No one to hold you accountable
One of the good things about having a boss is there is someone to ask if you completed a task. If you have customers or clients, they will hold you accountable to the deliverables of your agreement. But who holds you accountable for the number of hours or days you work? Who will hold you accountable when you just don’t do something you know you should? If you are not someone who can be fully honest with yourself, you will have troubles being your own boss. You have to have a structure and accountability tools that keep you on track.
Ideas for Self-Employment
Fitness instructor
Concierge
Uber/Lyft driver
Writer
Freelance Graphic Design
Consultant
Life Coach
Small shop owner
Need help with staying accountable and keeping organized? Start with a planner or a calendar!
Comments