On yourself or on “uncle”? Starting your own business
So Friday crept up unnoticed. It’s time for a cozy conversation on topical topics. Today we’ll talk about employment options. How people come to choice, the impact of the 2020 pandemic on the views of workers. Pros, cons, pitfalls.
The whole story is based on real events and personalities.
Introduction
One way or another, each of us thought at least once in our life: “Maybe I should open my own business?”
Let’s immediately define that there are two categories of people. Some are risky and adventurous, while others appreciate the tit in their hands. These factors are decisive in making decisions, and not only in the plane of work.
Most of us work for an “uncle”, be it a remote location or an office. Not everyone is satisfied with the order of what is happening. Many have an imbalance between interesting jobs and pay.
Since the material on the resource is for IT specialists, who are getting more and more rosy in terms of income and freedom, we will talk about non-IT workers. They have less money, and the “uncle” is more severe. The message of the material is not envy of the IT sphere, but a story about how others have it.
And now, after the next call “on the carpet”, the engineer Petrov or the manager Valera have a thought – and it would not have gone all!
Example # 1
One of my best friends is an environmentalist. Naturally, like a good half of the Voshniks, it did not work out to go to the specialty, and he switched to other areas of activity.
After working as a merchandiser, sales agent, he rose to the head of the sales department. Working in the fields took 70% of his time. He ran into the office to drink tea and to meetings. For him, sedentary work is hell. This is how he worked for “uncle” for 6-7 years. Despite the even rhythm, burnout started. Thoughts about self-employment have visited him for a long time. He was enterprising and constantly offered me some options for joint activities. I, by virtue of my “tit”, tactfully refused.
And so, in small steps, he left the office and began to buy / sell / repair cars. Before I noticed, he already had a couple of machines in the works.
It was difficult at first. It took about 2-3 years to build. There are a lot of pitfalls in this field of activity, you know. The used car market in the CIS countries is a lot of fun. How many stories there were with false documents, hidden breakdowns and so on. But nothing, he confidently pushed his way.
Today it has a sufficient car turnover.
Did he regret leaving a stable job? From time to time, he has thoughts of returning to the office, but the next machine and a successful deal sweeps aside the comeback. He is always on the move, looking for something similar to his previous work.
May I say that he is happy? No, but he is much more comfortable than in the office.
Example No. 2
There is an HR friend who has been in one place for over 15 years. Very comfortable conditions, one might say – greenhouse. The salary is on time, the workload is small, the holidays are regular. So he sat for these 15 years and went with the flow. The man loved comfort and stability, more than self-development and money. One day, he realized all this. I realized that I gave my best years, sitting in a warm office on an average salary. He is a family man and not risky. This is how I justify his behavior. But, better late than never.
Having decided to change jobs, he realized that he wasted a lot of time and did not have enough skills to compete with the top in the market. Having worked in several companies, he realized that he had two options: catch up with colleagues or work for himself. He chose the second option.
Having a huge base of contacts in the business sphere, he successfully opened his own direction for the selection of personnel. There were already orders at the start. At the moment, he is successfully doing what he loves, but for himself. He doesn’t even think about the office, especially in the current situation of 2020.
Is he happy? Absolutely! He only regrets that so many years were wasted in vain.
Example No. 3
I watched a neighbor who opened her own grocery store. A very common occurrence. Where she came from this decision – I do not know. An outside view showed that the man was spinning 24/7 working with suppliers. The sellers changed – like the weather in Iceland. At the start, she was in high spirits, her eyes were burning. With every quarter and six months, the motivation was falling. Towards the end of her activities, she already traded herself, because the sellers were unscrupulous. Its activity lasted for about two years.
Was she happy? The first six months. Then there was only anguish and zero. She may have chosen a very competitive niche.
Work for “uncle”
I have isolated examples of people who left to work for themselves because the vast majority of my acquaintances work in an office.
I have not taken entrepreneurship courses, but I can say with confidence that few achieve what they want by going on the path of self-employment. There are many factors, such as: character traits, niche, luck, sticks in wheels from the state.
So, about office workers. They sit, puff, everything is familiar and ordinary. Frequent complaints about the moron of the chief, how they were all zadolbali – this is all familiar to everyone. Despite this, many are satisfied with it. Stable income, often turning off the brain at the end of the day and on weekends. Leave on schedule, all organizational issues are decided for you.
Pandemic 2020 – another reason to leave slavery
A year with surprises, I admit it. For the majority, everything has turned upside down. Many fell under layoffs and other repressions. But every cloud has a silver lining.
I have always respected enterprising people who grab and assess the situation on the fly, instantly. I have a couple of acquaintances who were not taken aback, having lost their job in a cozy office, and started working for themselves.
Someone began to sew masks and sell them cheaper than speculators at the state level. Others switched to delivering goods. Those who left to work remotely rethought the situation and quit, typing hack. There are dozens of such examples.
Against the background of tightening the belts and the insolence of the employer, it’s time to turn on the brain and look for yourself. In the modern, fast world, everything happens exactly like this. The one who does not have time loses.
So which is better: stability or independence?
It’s difficult to answer right away. Leaving “to free bread” is a lottery, from which, often, there is no turning back. There were cases when acquaintances tried themselves in self-employment, losing experience in their former field, and they did not manage to return. They remained at the broken trough, passing into the third dimension.
Those who sit in offices are also not 100% satisfied. Most of them are family people. Those with small children are less inclined to take risks and need stability. Older guys periodically look over the fence.
There are pinpoint personalities who are in time on two fronts – on “uncle” and on themselves. Among my friends, 3-4 people pull this level. These are very gifted people, they can multitask. True, they have to deny themselves a lot. In the time spent with my family, in ordinary human joys. They have chosen this path and will definitely not leave it. I noticed that workaholics are forever.
Output
Everyone will make a decision himself, I can only express my opinion. The modern world, with its digitalization and opportunities, hybrid types of earnings is a very fertile ground for changing the vector. There are many more opportunities now than just 10 years ago.
I wish everyone to be in their place and enjoy what you do.
Share your views and stories. I read them with interest.
Good weekend!
Advertising
If you decide to open your own even a small business, then in our time, a website or an online store will definitely not hurt you. Virtual servers for hosting websites or any other projects and tasks – this is about our epic! DDoS protection, automatic installation of the convenient VestaCP control panel, the ability to use Windows. Better to try it once!
