Why Are You Self-Employed?
November 18th, 2009 by Bob Bly
According to the Enterprise Council on Small Business (BtoB, 11/16/09, p. 21), entrepreneurs become self-employed for one of 3 reasons:
>> 74% want to be able to earn their living through a specific skill or activity they are good at or enjoy; e.g., photography, woodworking, writing, web site design, public speaking.
>> 24% are corporate refugees who became self-employed to escape life in a big organization.
>> 2% are motivated by growth, achievement, and the thrill of running and building a business.
Which of the above is YOUR motivation?
Or are you self-employed for a reason not on this list?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 11:12 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
[...] Why Are You Self-Employed? – bly.com blog – bly.com direct marketing blog bly.com/blog/general/why-are-you-self-employed – view page – cached According to the Enterprise Council on Small Business (BtoB, 11/16/09, p. 21), entrepreneurs become self-employed for one of 3 reasons: [...]
November 19th, 2009 at 8:17 am
I’m self-employed because I get more respect as a consultant than I do as an employee. When I’m being interviewed to be hired as an employee, people tell me how great the organization is; when being interviewed as a consultant, people tell me what the real problems are. When I work as an employee, people tell me what they want me to do. When I work as a consultant, I tell them what they need to do to succeed. Also, as a consultant, I’m expected to produce results, not to occupy a desk for eight hours a day, and I don’t have to deal with office politics. I come in only as needed and I get things done. I like that.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I became self employed because I knew that I would never be able to achieve as much within the structure of a large corporation. I understood that having the ability to build and achieve was something that was priceless and that being able to build a business that I am proud of is a reward beyond monetary measure.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I’m self-employed because I want my hard work and good client relations to build something I can call my own, rather than devoting days, weeks, and years of my life to some other guy’s dream of corporate success. I’ve worked corporate jobs where I knew every single day would be the exact same day for the next 30 years — I’d get paid pretty much the same for competent, good, or great work, and if I left, I would simply be replaced like a worn cog in a machine.
As an independent contractor, I earn my keep, and the quality of my work matters. It’s like growing your own crops instead of just hitting the grocery store freezer section — sure, it’s the same ear of corn, but the fact that you grew it yourself makes it taste that much better.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Bob,
Ironically, I desperately want to become self-employed as my employer does NOT utilize my skill sets, abilities and aptitudes.
But, I have the golden handcuff scenario as I make slightly over 100K a year. I’m confident that I could do better on my own – but as my families sole breadwinner I’m a bit reluctant.
Bob – if you or any of your readers have any feedback for a guy in my situation I’d surely appreciate it.
Best-
November 19th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Curtis: It sounds to me like you are not going to make the move until the PAIN of being underutilized gets so bad that it finally outweighs the PLEASURE of a 100K salary and the security it brings.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Bob,
Thanks for the input. Sad to say, but you are probably right. And it brings to mind a quote that has been sticking in my craw for over a year now, “…security is the lowest form of happiness”.
Doesn’t seem like that’s the way to go through life – stuck between doing something more or being content with what I have.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 am
The reason I am self employed is because I enjoy the freedom of making my own schedule, but alas that is my downfall also.
Sometimes I over schedule and put to much on my plate. When I start to get upset, I remember what it was like working for someone else on their terms and remember why I started working for me.
I do lawn mowing during the day and build content websites at night. This let’s me decide when and who I work for. I learned that money is not everything, and getting to stay at home when I want is very gratifying.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Curtis: if you are earning an honest living through hard work, supporting yourself and perhaps a family, there is nothing “low” about it. On the contrary, it’s quite honorable, and my dad lived his life that way for over 40 years — and he was my hero.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I’m self employed because I wanted to write for a living and I could not find salaried work that let me do that. I never wanted to work in “business,” then ironically found that as a writer, I had to run my own business! I have been self employed since 1983, except for a couple of early two-year permanent positions that clearly demonstrated that I preferred working for myself. Money has never been a big motivator for me. I guess I have modest needs and wants. My biggest are independence, autonomy and the ability to write for pay.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:49 am
I am self employed because i enjoy the freedom of being able to work when i like, although i do work long and sometimes unsociable hours. I also enjoy the fact that it is my own business run by me and the mere fact that i have been self employed for over 30 years and would find it very difficult to work for a company and be stipulated by their hours and pay.And last but not least i now have several alternative businesses that give me options of variety and income.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:53 am
I am self employed because i enjoy the freedom of being able to work when i like, although i do work long and sometimes unsociable hours.
I also enjoy the fact that it is my own business run by me and the mere fact that i have been self employed for over 30 years and would find it very difficult to work for a company and be stipulated by their hours and pay.
And last but not least i now have several alternative businesses that give me options of variety and income.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:58 am
The reason I’m self employed is because I like being able to set my own hours, and I hated the idea that my financial well being was dependent on some bean counter who didn’t know what I did and didn’t much care. My last job moved me to a new area (it was a voluntary move) promising same rate of pay. My new area had a much lower cost of living, so I was doing very well. Getting my bills paid off, saving money, even thinking of buying a house. Then one day my company’s sole client decided to renegotiate their contract ‘because of the economy’. Even though said client was a gigantic firm making money hand over fist that had recently bought out several competitors. Everyone got slashed down to the same hourly rate, and I lost 35% of my paycheck. I went from saving money, paying off debt, and thinking of buying a house to being in the hole for my basic monthly expenses. I said never again.
February 17th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I’m considering myself as self-employed and a businessman. Self-employed since I’m working online for client/s and businessman cause I’m trying to support our family business. In cases, I love what I’m doing. Yes, there are times that I don’t earn that much, but for sure I’m able to meet all my monthly expenses. Not just like those people who are working full time for their employers.
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Self-employment means that all the work is done by YOU! You can determine to a large extent how much cash you generate, by setting your own prices and working a little or a lot.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:38 am
I’m self-employed because I want to excel on my entrepreneurial ability even if it’s so hard for me to start. Still hoping that the right time will come for me to become successful in my chosen career. Also, I love the challenges that come my way, the decision making process.
June 13th, 2010 at 12:05 am
I chose to be a freelancer because I really want to hold my time, deal with different challenges and improve my attitude as well. Also, I would like to hold my financial success. I want to grow!
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