Sunday, 7 June 2009

Why you should work for yourself #1

While trying convince myself why I should take this 'leap of faith'. I've compiled a list of reasons 'Why I should work for myself'. You may have heard some of these before, but I'm adding my personal experience to support the advice already out there.

1. It's Less Risky
Less risky? Surely working for the government is as safe as it can get? True. But not all of us work for the government, or want to. In fact, my company is in difficulty because we thought we were safe working on government contracts.

When I work for a company, I've no idea about the financial situation the company is in. Just ask any ex-employees of Lehman Brothers.

A friend of mine worked in a small company, doing very well. It appeared they got new commissions consistently. In April, her boss told everyone he was closing the London office and moving operations up north. It was a pure business decision and everyone had no choice.

If you worked for yourself, you'd know the relationships with your clients, funders, debtors, creditors, suppliers, etc. Most importantly, you know the exact state of your finances. Being an employee is like putting your fate in other people's hands. If it works out, then there would be security, promotions, benefits etc... And if not?

I work for an architect's office in London. Most architectural practices don't offer pay packages comparable to other professional jobs, and there are no medical nor dental benefits, no private pension contribution, gym memberships, childcare nor other stuff we only hear about. I tell myself, at least I'm not missing out on all this if I decide to try becoming self employed?

tbc with reason #2...

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