I would say: To be self-employed is to know how to benefit from uncertainty.
That's right! You may be thinking of this concept from Antifragile, but it's not that easy to do, at least not at the zero to one stage. When you're faced with life and financial stress, the desire to only reduce uncertainty, minimize risk, and even leave money in your pocket, will always be in the back of your mind.
I couldn't avoid it either, but I just had to force myself to think more, to make the future path as clear as possible. No exaggeration, at that time, I always have five or six sets of scripts in my head how to get to the goal.
When you have a goal, your heart will be more solid, because you know that you are moving forward. Even if you temporarily stay where you are, or take a detour, you are still looking at the goal in the distance. As you grit your teeth and push through, the baggage you carry, such as finances, life, family, social and health, etc., slowly unloads one by one, and you feel more secure, and then you have more confidence to focus on moving forward.
The freedom of self-employment comes from the freedom of "choice"
The benefits of being self-employed are mainly in the word "freedom", freedom of time, freedom of place of work, freedom of form of work, freedom to receive worthwhile rewards, etc.
Most people define freedom as being able to do whatever they want to do. I think this is one of the reasons why many people aspire to become self-employed. This is true in the beginning of becoming self-employed; however, there is a lot of resistance.
You are free, but not as free.
The prerequisite for this freedom is that you have the freedom to "choose"; especially when you are in a position to do it and can choose not to do it, you will be free and comfortable.
Four reflections and key questions for the self-employed
How much are you willing to pay for your second life in the workplace? I'd like to share some observations I've made during my time as a self-employed person.
Your clients have schedules too
Although most of the time, self-employed people can arrange their own time, but if the client is only available at 7:00 a.m. the next day, you still have to get up early to take the first high speed train or even drive yourself to the appointment.
If punctuality is a basic requirement for those who are employed, then being self-employed means arriving half an hour early. After all, being late is not as simple as deducting pay or taking time off.
Second, after doing a case, where is the next one?
Unlike the employed, you never have to worry about where the next task is, you just hope the job doesn't come fast and furious. As a self-employed person, when you deliver the finished product to the customer or finish providing the service, it means "end"; you must find the next new customer who needs your product or service.
With experience and word of mouth, you should find clients who need a lot of consistent work to avoid this problem and make a lasting impression. For example, a well-established consultant, becoming a mid- to long-term consultant for a company, or securing a stable publishing partnership with a print media outlet will give you a predictable revenue stream and amount for the next nine months to a year.
Increasing passive income sources is also a way, but it is not easy for self-employed people who do not have investment and financial management expertise to do so in the first two years.
Family support is the key
It can take a while to earn enough income to support yourself and your family by becoming a self-employed person, especially if you are starting from scratch. I, for example, did not catch up with my past salary until the middle of my third year. Even now, I dare not say it is stable, because the composition is still changing and I may be knocked back at any time.
As the second point says, if your predictable revenue sources and ratios for the next nine to twelve months are not stable enough, it's all a sham.
We've all heard stories of "legends" or "miracle workers" who have surpassed their past profit levels within six months to a year of becoming self-employed, but those are, after all, the minority.
For most self-employed people, at least three to five years can not run away, if they are in the workplace more than ten years of experience, to change the runway back to the level of the past, it is not easy to do, just like me.
Fourth, do not underestimate the importance of time management
After becoming self-employed, I really realized the meaning of the phrase "time is money".
Although I used to be an efficient worker, the difference is that I used to finish my work early in order to rest early, but now I finish my work early in order to devote myself to the next work or any activities that can generate value, including learning, sports and spending time with my family.
That's why the ability to plan and review is so important.
It's not just about achieving goals, it's about seeing if there are possibilities to save time. Creating these gaps is not about taking on more work, it's about the challenge of getting into new things.
Once you've planned your strategic goals and revenue projections at the beginning of the year, you shouldn't just accept everything you need without consideration, because the price you pay may be more than just time. If you are planning to become self-employed in your second life, I sincerely recommend having your own pace and long term plan.
I can appreciate the allure of opportunity, but don't forget that "self-discipline" means having the means to do it, but choosing not to. In addition, being self-employed is a one-person business, and no matter how strong the initial growth is, it is important to face the fact that long-term growth still requires stability, not ups and downs.
I wish every self-employed person a healthy body and a healthy family, and a free and comfortable life and career. I wish you all the best.
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