So many people who “work for the man” dream of telling their boss to “Shove it!” They relish the dream of being their own boss.
Their Main Motivations They Always Mention Are:
- I’ll have no boss, so nobody can tell me what to do. > Definitions of “Boss” aside, when you go out on your own you can simply replace the word “boss” with customers, clients, landlord, tax department, government regulators, your employees and business partners.
- I’ll get to make the lions share. > Your market will dictate what you can make and for how long you can make it. As well, you can count on the fact that your competition will be busy investing their extra profits on innovation which you must soon follow suit if you plan on staying in the game for the long haul.
- I can run the business better than my boss > You might, you might not, but you’ll never know until you try.
- I’ll decide what to do and when to do it > This may be true but only if you have a business that doesn’t need to be open during normal working times. So you better decide fast because most businesses in today’s world are in touch with their customers’ 24 hours a day 7 day’s a week. If a customer can get your product or service from another vendor because your company is not available then what decision do you think they’re bound to make?
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take the plunge and go out on your own and live or die by your wits. I’ve run my own companies since I was 18 years old and have enjoyed both the freedoms and responsibilities that being an entrepreneur has provided. I would always encourage anyone who has a skill and the motivation to go it alone, to take the plunge and make their life more interesting.
What I would encourage you to do before you make the initial investments would be to get real with your reasons for wanting to go out on your own.
You must have massive passion for your product, service or skill and simply love doing what you do so much that you would almost be willing to do it for free. You should love challenges and solving problems because there will be copious amounts of both of these coming at you daily. You must trust yourself enough to know what you can and can’t do. Know that you will have to hire people to do those things you can’t do and those things you don’t want to do.
The rest will be a cinch, I wish you the most amazing, exhilarating and fun filled life as an entrepreneur. We are definitely a breed of our own and we can be spotted having the time of our lives while we keep the economy’s wheels turning and our passions burning.
Dominic Kotarski – International Consultant | Author | Coach | Trainer | Speaker
