I love seeing the excitement in someone’s face when they talk about their new business idea. I thing the beginning part can be the best part, which is why I love what I do. But I can’t stand when I see that look that comes with disillusionment, when they realize some parts of their dream aren’t accurate. Two of the most common misconceptions are that you will be reporting to no one and that your time will be your own.
When people go into business for themselves, they frequently say they can’t wait until they have to report to no one. Unless you win the lottery, or become independently wealthy through some other means, that will never be the case. When you leave your day job to start your own business, you now report to dozens, hundreds, (thousands?) of people. They are known as your customers.
Don’t be discouraged, though. It is different than showing up as an employee and tackling things that someone else has deemed important. Answering to your customers ultimately means improving your business. And improving your product or service will be (I hope) important to you. And as you continue to improve your business, you will be rewarded with happy customers. And although you are answering to your customers, what service/product you offer, and how you run your business is all up to you. And those are the big things, the things that will bring you satisfaction.
The other picture people have in their head, when thinking of ditching the 9-5 job, is newly found free time. You will be working at least as many hours as a fulltime job, and not have quite the flexibility you might imagine. Depending on the size of your business, and if you have any help (free or otherwise), you can have some flexibility, but you still have to get everything (and I mean everything) done.
So, yes, you can answer emails, do your bookkeeping, online research, and things like that, whenever it’s best for you. But some things, especially if they involve other people, must be done when it is best for everyone. If you’re dealing with suppliers or manufacturers, you have to deal with them during their business hours. And usually this means during the regular workday, so mid-morning workouts followed by lunch with friends, probably isn’t going to be your normal day.
Don’t get me wrong. If you have a good idea and understand what it will take, and still want to move ahead, it is definitely worth it. The time and energy you spend on your own thing is an investment, so it feels different. And like they say, it’s only work if you would rather be doing something else. So, if you’re ready, jump in
