If you’ve been employed all your life, there is a good chance you have dreamt of escaping the corporate shackles and becoming your own boss. But, chances are, being your own boss is going to be a big shock to you. It’s not easy to make the change, especially from a self-disciplined perspective.
If being your own boss is what you are looking to achieve, here are 5 top tips to make it happen.
1. Think about what you want to do
Being your own boss is awesome – no supervisor, no line manager, no assistant manager, and no manager telling you what you are doing wrong! Let’s face it, how often does your boss compliment you?!
Ok so you want to be your own boss, but how?
Being your own boss generally means working for yourself. That means being self-employed. Think about what you could do first of all and what you really enjoy doing – after all this should be one of the reasons you are looking at being your own boss.
- What could you do?
- What do you enjoy?
- What are you already good at?
- What skills do you have from previous job roles?
2. What are you good at?
Ok so you’ve brainstormed some ideas, now let’s nail down exactly what you are going to do. What did you come up with?
- Gardener?
- Dog walker?
- Accountant?
You know what you are good at. You know where your skills lie and where your passions lie.
So now you know what business you are going to be in, it is time to set the business up. You are one step closer to being your own boss.
3. Raising funding
Starting a business is not easy, especially on your own.
Did you know 85% of new businesses fail in the first 5 years?
You need to have money to start a business, so let’s think about where you are going to get the money from.
Do you have any money in savings? Could you ask your parents for the money? Grandparents maybe? Do you have anything of value you could sell?
There are always ways to find money, even if it means having to knuckle down, cut back and save the money that way. Or even a combination of all of the above.
If you want something enough, you’ll find a way
4. Putting together your business plan
So, you’ve got the money together, now you need a plan. Generally, this is called a Business Plan.
This is a 1-3 or 5-year plan for the business. Include things such as how you are going to spend the money you have, for example, advertising, buying any materials or equipment for the business. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) helps give you insight into the where you can market the business and what to be aware of. It’s worth checking out the competition too.
Don’t forget to research the legalities of the business and any health and safety aspects. Also, make sure you have insurance in place. Better to be safe than sorry. You may well want to be your own boss, but that means you need to be in charge of everything.
5. Be realistic
Be realistic about how long it takes to build a business. It’s unlikely you will be super successful in the first 6 months, or even a year.
It can take anything from 1-3 years to reach the level of success and income you need for full-time work. Being your own boss is very different from being employed.
There are so many pitfalls to being your own boss. Literally, everything is on you. Not only will you be doing whatever the day job is, but you’ll be doing the accounts, the marketing, the admin, building the business, keeping the customers happy, and dealing with any unsatisfied customers.
Whilst your dream may be to be your own boss, it really is not as easy as you think.
When I started Pets 2 Places 8 years ago, I honestly had no idea how hard it was going to be. I’ve had to learn everything the hard way, the expensive way, and been ripped off many times by unscrupulous people.
That’s why I am offering such an ethical, affordable franchise opportunity, because I believe everyone who wants to be their own boss should have the opportunity to.
If you love animals, and share our core values of compassion, integrity, kindness and understanding, pop on over to our franchise page and find out more:
