What a time that we live in, we have an option now whether we want to work a regular job or not. There are so many people, Who wish to be self-employed but continue working their job. No, I'm not saying put in your two weeks right now. But also don't put those who are self-employed already on a pedestal. You are as capable of becoming self-employed as well.
We often perceive those who are self-employed as taking the risk. But who is taking the risk?
Would you trust your whole life in the hands of somebody who doesn't care about you? Someone who doesn't even think of you? In a way, if you have a job that's exactly what you're doing. The CEO of your company doesn't care if you have enough money to feed your family. Ultimately the company's goals will come first. You have this one source of income; you rely on your job for everything.
Your health insurance, and your ability to feed your family. Without it you have nothing. If you lost your job tomorrow, what would you do? Why are you giving this company that much power? Tomorrow if you were to quit, they would replace you. Having one source of income is extremely risky.
They say that money doesn't buy happiness, it's true. But money is a resource. We can use this resource, for so many things. Not only does money somewhat by happiness. But also buys freedom. The wealthy often have the most choices, while it may not seem like it with their busy schedules. Ultimately, if they wanted to make a huge change in their life. They'd have the ability to do so. Many people who are poor, Do not have those same options. They are stuck working dead-end jobs, or working for minimum wage. This is often their only choice.
Sometimes it seems impossible to get ahead, but often takes a lot of self-discipline. And a baby step. Making an extra $100 a month may not seem like a big deal. But if you save that money and I'll let anything touching no matter what. At the end of the year you have $1200. That's nice chunk of money; sure it won't buy your way to financial freedom. But it's enough to start a small business. It's enough to invest, and it can grow.
This probably sounds a little hypocritical, I do work a part-time job right now. But I do a mostly for the exercise not the money. I noticed something huge when I first started. I already knew about this, but I didn't realize how big of an effect it has on me every day. Until I started working there again. It's only part-time! So you think I'd still have a lot of day left outside of work. But I really don't. My job is physical, which is great for the exercise. It's helping me lose weight. But I work so hard that the next day I have no energy, for a couple hours. Waking up is difficult! This wastes more time. I am paid 4 to 5 hours a night loading boxes into a trailer. But I often need about two hours after waking up, in order to feel energized to work on my business. Not only that but I am not paid to drive to work. Which takes up more time each day, I work in a huge warehouse. I'm not paid to wait in line to get into the building. Or to walk into the building. This may sound a little petty, but these little moments add up. So while this job is part-time, it's eating up a lot of my resources. Both time and money.
Depending on your job you may or may not need certain things. Some jobs require uniforms, purchased by you. This gets expensive. I get to wear what I want at work, but it's a warehouse. My clothes get ruined very quickly, I also have to buy still toed boots for my job. As well as gloves. These are the only requirements of my job. But I spend almost a months worth of pay. On these items per year.
Again depending on your job, you may or may not eat more because of it. But I was surprised when I went back to my job, and I noticed that I almost doubled my intake of food. Because I'm burning so many calories on the job. Self-employment is nice because you get to decide how much you get paid. If your supplies are costing a little bit too much, you can raise your prices a little bit. You also can run at the bare minimum if necessary if you are struggling financially. Overall you need less money to make it work. The budget I had while I have a job, is very different from the budget I have when I don't have a job. I require a lot more money to survive when I have a job.
Technology is making it harder for us to find jobs. This is only going to accelerate and continue. Soon will have fewer options with the job market. Being self-employed gives you options, you can adjust your focus, or just what you're doing. Based on the demand, I started my business doing adult coloring books. This was paying all my bills! But then coloring books stopped being as popular, so I switched to T-shirts. Now T-shirts are paying my bills, and I'm using my free time to make extra coloring books. This is a nice balance, not only that but I'm gaining a lot of great skills that I can use in other ways later on. Often jobs require you to do the same thing over and over, and you aren't doing anything new. This gives your employer more control over you because you'll have fewer skills to go to other companies and work other jobs.
You can start doing research now on what you would want to do as a self-employed individual. You don't need any fancy talents or supplies usually. While they do help, there something out there for everyone. You could even start doing freelance work. Often small business owners, need simple jobs done. Whether it's helping them run their social media, or responding to customer emails. While this is still very job like, it allows you to look at how a small business is running their business. So can figure out what you want to do.
