Don’t Be Your Own Boss. This is Why!
As an entrepreneur, I am sure the title of this article has you in combatant mode, yeah? Relax!
Yes, I agree there is freedom that comes with starting your own business and being your own boss. Before I launch into why you should not be your own boss, let’s deal with why you SHOULD BE your own boss. This is going to be interesting, trust me.
A friend of mine always tells the story of how she shed tears of joy and relief when she woke up the morning after the day she resigned her banking job to realise that she didn’t have to leave the house by 5.45am. Her internal alarm had woken her up by 4.30am, and as was her routine, she had got up with a start, rushed to the bathroom to go through the motions of getting ready for work only to realise after dressing up that she was ‘FREE’.
Was that how you felt when the reality of your ‘FREEDOM’ hit you? Being your own boss, starting your own business is awesome, I know but there is a ‘BUT’; keep reading.
The good thing about becoming your own boss is that when that happens, you:
- Get to do what you love. Who would leave a 9-5 to do what s/he hates? So, becoming your own boss means you turn whatever passion you have into a business. It’s a winner, anytime. Ask Richard Branson.
- Own your time and have autonomy, plus you get to do your own thing.
- Ditch the daily to-and-fro commute to work and can have flexible work locations.
- Learn new things everyday (or, at least every week). Your quest for learning and knowledge is off-the-charts. No matter your line of your after-9-to-5 endeavour, when you start running your own gig, you will learn, willy nilly, everything from accounting, hiring, marketing, demand and supply, outsourcing, tech, just you name it. Your skill set and expertise will, as a result, practically explode as you wear the different togas of a boss.
5. Sync with GRATITUDE. All the ‘little things’ you took for granted become a big deal. You appreciate the ‘big’ jobs and the ‘little’ jobs, unlike when you were in paid employment.
6. Become more resilient and disciplined. The grind is yours, so you’re your own motivator. You face your failures and disappointments head-on, and have no patience for nay-sayers who think your business idea is hare-brained.
7. You don’t have to answer to anyone. Oh well… I put this last because it is on this wave that we will ride the waves of why you SHOULD NOT be your own boss.
Who told you that when you start your own business and become your own boss, you stop answering to anyone? You have been fed one thing and one thing alone:
A LIE!
Let’s briefly carry out an exercise: review your life since you ‘became your own boss’; are you really NOT answering to anyone but yourself? Be honest.
I’ll pause here for a bit and just let you watch this clip on Why You Should Not Be Your Own Boss. Get your note and pen ready and click here to watch.
Are you done watching? I’d like to know your thoughts in the comments section.
Bottom line, people, being your own boss is an amazing endeavour. The thing is to be ready mentally and otherwise, and purpose to have your hand (and all other hands) on deck.
Before you go, get real with me: Watch REAL-LIFE people share good and ugly stories of how they left their day job to BE THEIR OWN BOSS (here, we get people to share their stories via short clips on how they left their usually well-paying jobs to start their own business).
Well done, and good luck!