The Temptation of Returning to FT Employment

And, the realities of self-employment

If you know me at all, you've heard me sing the praises of self-employment - the freedom from sitting in a dreary office for nine hours a day, the lack of necessity to buy a work wardrobe, and the ability to call the shots so to speak each and every day. It's great stuff, no doubt.

 

However, I'm perpetually being tempted to return to the legions of responsibly employed grown-ups. This self-proclaimed free bird (get out your lighters Lynyrd Skynyrd fans) gets swayed towards looking at jobs on LinkedIn every time something goes slightly off kilter. ...And, this happens with great frequency.

Why? Your life is never quite certain when you don't have an employer. I guess it's not certain even with an employer, but you know what I mean. When will the check from the client arrive? Will my Steady Eddie client dump me like a hot potato when there's a shift in company focus? Holy sh**, I haven't paid into social security in nearly a decade. Will I be living under a Hefty Bag and pushing a shopping cart collecting aluminum cans for dinero when I'm 65? All questions that run through my head.  Leaving the carpeted cube in the office park, the steady paycheck, the 401 K plan, etc. isn't for the faint of heart.

Today is a good day. I've got a long list of projects I'm working on. I know where my money is coming from for at least the next month. I'll avoid the neurotic, half-hearted job hunt. But, tomorrow, it might be a completely different story.

To end today's post, I want to remind anyone who is contemplating self-employment and for those who think I'm just hanging out at home during the day, that it's not all fun and games. It's real work. No, it's actually far more than that. It's bloody hard work plus hustling for new customers, marketing your skills, bill collecting, being diplomatic with customers who can be as much or more demanding than any boss, and never letting it stop for a minute. Because if you stop, the mailman unfortunately ceases delivering the checks that keep the roof over your head. Darn! Read more on the Entrepreneurial Mom's Blog.