Ten things to consider when becoming your own boss.
There is a song by a famous pop star that sometimes plays on a loop in my head. The song is about a hero not really being a hero.
The original chorus is a fitting mantra, but I like to replace one of the main words with “function.” By function, I mean any role that keeps my business going. I sing this adapted verse to myself.
The refrain is catchy and helps remind me that no one else is going to swoop in and take care of my business except me.
When you are your own boss, it’s you. You are all the functions (and maybe the problems?) of your business.
This obvious and terrifying fact is why many people don’t strike out on their own.
But even as the eloquent pop star laments, deep down she still is going to continue being herself (a major boss), albeit with confessed self-awareness.
Along these revealing lines, I thought I would share that being a solopreneur comes with amazing freedoms, but here are 10 other aspects to consider:
When you are your own boss, technology advances become less wonderful. You are the entire IT department. You get to troubleshoot all computer issues, follow-up on website snafus, fix all syncing problems, and update all software subscriptions. The conversion becomes complete when you start reading “Hacker News.”
As your own boss, a complaint like “I don’t have any sick hours?” to HR, is always dealt with swiftly. You are HR, and no, you don’t have sick hours.
Good news, you won the Chairman’s Circle award for highest year-end sales. Bad news, no one cares. Your sales’ department head, you, did jack-all to promote and celebrate.
Being your own boss means you can forward all unpaid invoices to your finance department, which is you.
As your own boss, you get to create the contracts and hand them over to legal for review. You might be legal.
You told the marketing department to check this article for keywords so it can rank higher for SEO. Wait, you are the marketing department. What is SEO again?
Once you are your own boss you can make sure all projects are aligned and running smoothly with work-breakdown structures and critical paths identified. You are the project manager.
As the boss, you have innovative ideas that are just a couple of research and development hours away from fruition. All you need to do is make money to live first.
Because you are your own boss, there are no disgruntled employees, unless you count yourself.
Good news, you don’t have to fill out a self-evaluation. Bad news, you are responsible for the mission statement, vision statement, value proposition, elevator speech, etc.
Of course, solopreneurs can and do bring in help. The main idea in sharing these 10 points is that being your own boss can mean being a hero or an anti-hero at any time.
Along my journey as a storytelling artist, I felt compelled to reveal some of these less obvious aspects of taking are of business.
One last consideration, I realize I will only have my boss to blame if no one reads this article.
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Julia Fletcher is founder of JEFS Storytelling Arts, a graphic design studio, where she uses her unique research skills and artistic talents to create custom visual stories that help clients’ increase engagement and promote the education of their audience.