I’ve been self employed for nearly two decades. Had numerous ventures and startups over the course of those years. Helped a few along the way get started, and yet it never ceases to amaze me when I hear the delusions of grandeur that comes from the mouths of people who have never experienced the joys and pains of being self employed. Oh sure, everyone has an idea or opinion of what it’s like but most don’t fully grasp the concept of it. Because they lack a basic understanding of what it means. So in this short blog I’m gonna attempt to lay out why you’ll never be self employed and if you are, what you’ll need ta do to make it.

#1. STOP WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO TELL YOU WHEN TO PEE

You heard me. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? You read that and you think it’s an absurd concept. No one tells me when ta pee, you think to yourself. But that’s not true. They do. If you live in the U.S. you get two breaks and a lunch every day. Set times of 15 minutes, 3o minutes, maybe an hour of each day. Why? Because if your employer didn’t give you a set time, a measured time, an easily monitored time, you’d disappear for three hours and not get any work done.

You can say it isn’t so. You can claim you’d work differently if you owned the business, etc. But it’s all a lie. You’re lying to yourself. You either work for you now, or you don’t. If you truly want to be self employed and can see yourself as the owner of the company or at the very least as a manager, then you have to adopt the attitude of managing yourself. Which means you show up for work with a specific goal in mind and you don’t piss away time or hours until you have achieved it. 

#2. YOU’RE STILL GETTING READY TO GET READY

When you have enough money, when you have the right equipment, when you find the right opportunity, when it’s the right time, etc. I’ve heard it all. The vein in my head bulges ta explode every time I hear stuff like that. Lemme break some news ta you, starting a business is about the same as having your first baby: you’re never prepared. You’re always gonna make mistakes. You’re never gonna have all you need. It’s never gonna be the right moment. DO. IT. ANYWAY. Take the step. You can spend years in preparation. ACTION produces results. Nothing else. Stop planning, preparing, contemplating, etc. Start DOING. 

Memorize these words and silently repeat them to yourself:

“GO WITH WHAT

YOU GOT”

 

If that concept eludes you or you fail to fully grasp it’s meaning, then as an exercise in preparation, invite a dozen of your closest friends over to your house and feed them an exquisite meal that will be talked about for days after – on twelve dollars. Get it? You have to deliver the desired result with less than perfect circumstances. And if you are unable or unwilling to do that, then you have no business attempting self employment. 

#3. YOU HAVE DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

You got this concept of business owners that isn’t grounded in reality. And why shouldn’t you? As an employee you don’t fully understand what any owner has been through or endured to get what they got. You’re clueless. So you think if you step out on your own you can do it better. But I assure you, the ignorance of that thought process will be made oh so clear, the moment you grow the spine ta walk away from that employment tit you been suckin on and attempt produce your own milk.

I met this couple a few years back that had worked two full time jobs their entire lives. Their combined income had done well and they stored up quite the retirement. For whatever reason, clueless of what their jobs had afforded them, they quit their jobs, pulled the money out of their retirement accounts and bought a Realistate company. They were convinced that they would knock ten years off of their time to retire and would be rich.

Instead of stock piling their cash and building up their cash reserves or focusing on generating some revenue first. They poured thousands into office renovations and equipment. They walked me through their new offices. Showed me their new desks, chairs, etc. They had a beautiful sign on their door. With their new found freedom they could meet with me any time I wanted, because they controlled their own schedule.

It was the absolute look of success!  This was right before the 2oo8/2oo9 housing bubble. You can probably guess the rest of the story. They lost everything and their retirement was gone. Failing had simply never occurred to them. 

The reality is, if you’re not currently self employed or have not been self employed in the past…you don’t know much about anything about self employment. 

Read more here: The Definition of Success

Copyright©2022 Jacob C. Larson All Rights Reserved

*** Being self-employed is an attitude. It’s an internal fight. It’s not a position. The amount of money you make on any job, the amount of benefits you recieve, will NEVER be good enough. You can talk about being self employed or how you’d do things so different or so much better, but as an employee you really have no grasp of what it means to be an owner of something. Because you are willing to accept the pittance of what you are paid. Willingfully. Gladly. You trade your freedom…for a steady paycheck.

You’ve never known what it means to be responsible for a product, service, or the people under your employ. You’ve never had to “meet a payroll” that was more than what you’ve had in the bank. You either have the mindset of being self employed NOW; or you don’t. Either you manage yourself NOW or you’ll never manage yourself on your own. You will give yourself the best excuses, feed yourself the best lies; and you’ll believe them, cause it’s you. 

****What’s my advice for someone who is stepping out into self employment? Pikers make excuses of why things can’t be done…don’t be one of them. Stop making excuses. Go with what you got. Embrace the suck. Blue skies never strengthen anyone. FIGHT and never give up! Eye of the Tiger baby. Burn those boats, ’cause you gonna win this one or you gonna be happy ta die right here on this hill. Going ta your grave with a smile on your face, cause you died on the field of self employment. If you don’t feel that deep inside…then you keep punchin that time card. 

*****How much money will they offer ta pay you for you to give up your soul? What price will you take in benefits for you to be their bitch? Or the amount of comfort can they promise for you to sell out and suck up that response ta that email you’d love ta give? What will it take for you to walk that line? Pull the 9 ta 5 path of the drones?

“Fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… our freedom!” – Braveheart