Becoming self-employed is an exciting and often scary time in any professional’s life because while relying on others to manage your career or at least helping to guide it can be secure, striking out on your own places the responsibility squarely on your shoulders. It will also mean that outside of the salary you pay yourself after all of your earnings, no extra benefits, payment pensions or other arrangements will be applied without your direct intention.
That’s fine for many people, because there are many elements of freedom to be found here, too. From your working schedule to how you deliver your value, as well as the networked connections you build, it can all feed back into generating a professional opportunity you will no doubt clasp with both hands.
It can’t hurt to widen your options a little though, and so in this article we’ll consider a few opportunities for you to benefit:
Your Chosen Place Of Operation Can Differ
A good question to ask yourself as a self-employed professional – “where am I going to work?” For some, this might differ by the day. If you’re a landscaper or a home contractor, odds are you’ll work wherever there’s a client with a property they need attending to.
That said, this is not always the cause. Investing in your home office could be a valuable use of your startup funds, as a clean space to undergo video consulting with firms, to work on a range of documents securely, and to make sure you have the storage space for lengthy documents and creative projects can be worthwhile. For instance, a freelance audio professional will no doubt have many MIDI instruments, good speakers, pre-amplifiers, and more. They will also likely soundproof the space.
You can also find professional utility in other pre-designed spaces. A personal trainer might bring their clients to the local gym for example, which is absolutely their right to do. Alternatively, renting out space fitted for your particular discipline can be very useful and convenient. For example – check out this online profit calculator to see how much more money you would make as an independent salon owner with a salon suite rental.
Online Freelancing & Consulting Is Always Possible
Consider your online methods of delivery. Crafting a freelance profile on pages like Upwork, your own website, and social media pages can help you curate work that might not have otherwise have gathered, and it’s not hard to see the benefit there.
A templated website with examples of your work, your mission statement as an entrepreneur, a virtual address or contact form for correspondence, this can all make a major difference.
Consultation services can also help you deliver your professional expertise to growing startups and firms in need of your guidance – if you can become active in online circles that discuss measures related to this method of delivering value – like searching your local business scene on Twitter and keeping abreast of the conversations happening there, you get to inject your professional value more easily.
Networked Contacts
Your prior networking isn’t immediately discarded just because you’ve had the audacity to become an entrepreneur, if anything this might work in your favor. Old contacts might be happy to work with you on your enterprise, or put you in touch with suppliers or individuals they trust to help you negotiate and expand. Alternatively, they might just know where you can get started with a good rate on a rented office space, or provide some advice they’ve had from working with you or from the skillsets they’ve developed.
Networking becomes more, not less important when we follow an entrepreneurial lifestyle, and so don’t be afraid to approach that.
Consider Employee Incentive Schemes
There are many alternate ways to hire someone than simply making them a full time employee of your small business. It’s not uncommon for those in the trades to take on apprenticeships so that their in-education employees salaries are partly salaried by the government. This way, you can gain the part time labor you need while also contributing to someone’s development, and this education can better relate to how you curate your own services.
With this advice, you’re sure to widen your potential self-employment options from year to year, or at least know the beginning direction to get started in. In such a wide field replete with competition, it’s not hard to see where the value lies in that, and the value flexibility can afford you.
Eric S Burdon