Self employment is an absolute dream for most creatives. To earn a living from what you love to do, to be in charge of your own destiny and not to have to run every decision by somebody else – absolute bliss!
It’s also pretty terrifying – chances are you’ve worked really hard to get your business or service to a place where you can make it your full-time “thing” and most people find that once they’ve served out their day job notice period, a little bit of panic sets in. What if I don’t make any money? What if I can’t motivate myself to work? What if I’ve made a mistake? What if, what if, what if…?
Being self employed is a blessing – but it’s also a major lifestyle adjustment. Follow these simple steps to making the best out of your venture, without allowing the fear to paralyse you. I realise this is a very loooong post – but I hope it’s valuable to those of you stepping into the world of being your own boss for the first time.
Graze, nature gaze, do whatever you have to do to relax
Woah, woah – what?? Time off?? I know what you’re thinking – you worked so hard to become self employed and you’re going to start off by slacking?
It may not feel like it, but time off to relax and readjust is absolutely crucial and here’s why:
1) When you quit your job, there’s going to be a panic about making money as quickly as possible. Let me tell you, from experience, that’s a really unhealthy energy to put into your venture. You don’t ever want to be doing business from a place of desperation or anxiety. Give yourself a few days to relax and then come at your strategy with a clear and calm head.
2) You probably still have a lot of residual stress and hangups from your day job. Everyone thinks that the moment you walk out the door you’ll have this euphoric feeling, but the reality that you don’t have to go back takes a while to sink in. Take a few days to de-stress, get rid of any worries from your old work and really realise that you’ve closed the door on that chapter of your life.
Take a few days, even a few weeks, away from your desk before you start your new self employment journey – go on holiday if you can afford it, even if it’s just a cheapo trip and really separate out the two realities.
No more boring office desks, no more cheesy motivational posters – this little office space is all yours. Chances are that if you’re a creative person, you like to decorate everything you touch – so make your working space really you. It has to be somewhere you’re happy to sit day after day, so optimise it for comfort and style (don’t forget to assess the ergonomics as well – your back will thank you).
Self employed doesn’t mean “available all the time”. I mean this in two ways – it doesn’t mean that you’re available all hours of the night for your clients and it doesn’t mean you’re available every second of the day for your friends. A lot of people will make assumptions that self employed = not doing anything important. Because your schedule will be more flexible, they will expect you to be able to take on things, or meet up with them at times that don’t suit you.
There’s alos a danger that, once you get into the flow of working for yourself, you’ll find it hard to separate the professional from the personal. Here are a few things you can do to help:
♥ Set, and stick to, working hours. They don’t have to be the normal working hours that other people might be used to, but make it clear that you only work and will only accept business calls during those hours. Equally, make it clear to your friends and family that you can’t chat to them during your business day.
♥ If you can afford it, have two phone lines – one for work and one for your friends. There are actually some really cheap and easy ways for you to do this, and I’m going to do a post on that at a later date. Make sure only one phone is switched on at any one time. If you really want to push the boat out, try to have two computers or devices to work from so that you don’t end up working when you’re trying to relax.
♥ Have a “work ref” – someone you love and trust, like a best friend or significant other, to make you pull the plug. It’s very easy to end up working into the small hours without realising that you haven’t stopped.
Met your deadline? Reward yourself with a nice walk. Finished that project? Watch an episode of your favourite show. A rewards system is a great way to motivate yourself when you’re having an off day, and it also breaks up the day so you’re not glued to your computer the whole time.
A routine is really important too – whether you exercise first thing or have a special cup of coffee in the morning, know how to start your day in style. Three square meals a day will also help you to stay focused and stop you from snacking out of boredom.
To be fair, most people who choose to work for themselves are quite introverted – but it can be quite jarring to go from being surrounded by people all the time to being on your own all day long. Social media is a great way to find and meet likeminded self employed types in your industry. Facebook groups and Twitter chats can be really beneficial and can lead to real-life friendships and regular meetups, so try to keep up your professional connections as well as your personal ones.
I refuse to subscribe to the belief that you have to dress a certain way to feel up for working. The whole point of working for yourself is that you get to make the rules, so forget arbitrary dress codes and umcomfortable work clothes – get yourself a nice wardrobe of PJs and lounging clothes instead. You’ll feel so much more comfortable and it’s much easier to get stuff done when you’re not distracted by itchy tights or restrictive dresses. Go on – take the leap!
Are you planning to become self employed? Or have you recently become your own boss? We’d love to hear your working from home stories in the comment box!
]]>Every self-employed person on the planet, at some point or another, has felt like packing it in. Putting yourself out there is hard. Showing up to work every day and having somebody tell you what to do within the confines of your specific role is one thing, but being a one-person business, especially in a creative business feels very different.
Your successes and failures feel personal, it’s up to you to generate ideas and motivate yourself to implement them. When response rates or results aren’t what you hoped, you’re the only person who can pick you back up and push you along. It’s no wonder, then, that at some point or another, self-employed types start to feel discouraged and lose momentum.
So, if you’re self employed and on the verge of giving up, how do you push through your slump and come out on top?
Even an hour in a coffee shop can really help to clear your head
Desperation never generated results. It’s easy to panic and slash your prices or start trawling the Internet, frantically searching for new ideas, or worse, sit there in a panic thinking about how to change your entire business model, but you won’t find any answers. Instead, put down the computer, or whatever it is you’re doing and leave the house. Score yourself an invite to the latest party for your industry, have a coffee with someone else who’s in your position, or just go for a long walk.
Sometimes you just need to see something that inspires you
Find someone who’s at a similar stage in building their business to you and whose work you love and meet up for a coffee. Think of a way you could collaborate – perhaps they could guest write a blog post, or you could work on a shoot together or even a new product. Sometimes you’re in your own head so long that putting your heads together can make all the difference.
The worst thing I can do when I’m worried about my writing (and yes, we ALL get insecure about our work sometimes) is to go looking at other blogs that have been around for years before me. Their level of success is incomparable because it didn’t happen overnight. So next time you find yourself panicking that another business similar to yours is doing so well, remind yourself that you can’t expect to emulate their success right away, nor should you.
Find your own little oasis and stop comparing yourself to everyone around you
Sometimes, thinking that something you’re doing is the be all and end all is a huge amount of pressure. If my blog was the only thing I was doing with my life, I’d never get out of bed – I have a lot of projects on the go, mostly paid and some just creative and for fun. That way I know that I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket, which leaves me feeling a lot more free to power ahead with what I really want to do with the blog!
Just because what you’re doing isn’t making a big splash doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. It can take a long time to find your customers, especially if what you do is quite niche, but once you do, things will really start to soar.
Find somebody to look up to who’s been through it all before
My mum is an aromatherapist, and a damn good one. When we were kids she started her own business. Like any new business it was slow at first, and the Internet age was only just starting. Without a big backer and marketing budget she relied on fairs, leaflets and word of mouth to let people know she was there (and the phone book, remember those?). It would have been easy for her to give up in the first couple of years, but I’m glad she didn’t and I bet she is too.
After getting the word out, everything changed. My mum’s massages are SO popular that almost every time I call her she’s with a client. I’m talking all day, evenings, weekends – she actually literally could not be more busy unless she worked through the night. I saw her go through all the stages a new business goes through in MUCH tougher times than this and I saw her succeed. I’ve never told her, but that’s where my self belief comes from. As corny as it sounds, she did it – she proved to me that if you have talent all you need to back it up is perseverance. I’m not sure she’s even had time over the years to turn around and go “holy crap I’m a success”, but most successful people don’t. So find yourself a business inspiration and think of them every time you’re in a slump.
The most important thing is that you don’t give up when it feels like you’re constantly dragging yourself uphill. Like anything in life, once you hit that sweet spot, you’ll be glad you stuck it out!
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