Everyday I hear this kind of advice: “Try your best to become your own boss”, “Start your own business”, “Be self-employed”, “Be an entrepreneur”. If you don’t want to start a business, you’re being looked down by some people. I heard this one on a podcast. Being employed is like wasting your life.
I think this line of thinking is wrong. Unless you have a great business idea and your product would make a profit from the first second of the launch, you’ll need a job. Or backing for your parents, extended family, etc. You can’t start a business without any capital. How do you get this capital? By employing your services to other people.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being employed. Even if it’s for just a couple of bucks an hour. A job gives you security. You can have a roof over your head, pay the bills and live a good life. You can learn new stuff and develop new skills, skills that can make you grow and eventually earn more.
But that will happen with the passage of time. Being employed can help you learn about the inner workings of a business. If you don’t know anything about a business, how can you run it? An MBA won’t help you learn everything.
In 2015 I started working. I graduated in 2012, got my bachelor degree in 2013. It took me 2 years to find my first job. Because I was stubborn and because I thought I could make by myself. I was working as a freelancer. For a while it was good. I’ve made a few bucks. But after a while, the gigs stopped. I was lucky if I could make 10 bucks a month. I moved back to my moms. It was harsh. I was depressed. I realised then that I needed a job and fortunately, after 2 years I managed to stand on my two feet.
Now, almost 3 years later since I’ve started my adventure as an employee I’m trying to build up a side-hustle. I try to build a platform that would support my writing. Through this blog, through my Steemit account, through Instagram and other channels. And this is hard. It will take a while until it will bring me money. Or it probably won’t bring me a cent. I will learn it with time. Doing all of this work is hard. I have to think about everything. About every strategy and implement the strategy myself. Because I can’t afford hiring people at the moment.
That’s one of the things some people don’t realise. When you become your own boss everything will fall on you. Either you have employees or you don’t. When you become “The Boss”, the Big Entrepreneur, you have to shoulder everything. Are you prepared financially and mentally to do that?
In my case, I welcome my employee status. Because even as an employee, you can be an entrepreneur. Or an intrapreneur. An employee that is changing the company from the inside. You just have to take the initiative. You could receive rewards you didn’t thought of.
Employee or entrepreneur? There is no right answer for this question. You just have to find the right answer for you. Only, be sure you make the correct choices because time don’t turn back. And when you fail it’s too late to regret.
