Reasons why being the boss is the best

Some of us spend all our working life being told what to do.
We clock in at 9am then clock out for 30 mins lunch then back in again until 5.30pm then it’s off to sit on the sofa watching people watching TV. Monday – Friday with 2 weeks off right in the middle of school the holidays just like everyone else.

Some of us are unemployable through our pedanticness and some of us simply prefer to work for ourselves.

That goes for many industries, and, actually, setting up your own firm is fairly easy and straightforward. However, it’s very easy to get it wrong, for many causes.

For those that are dreaming of working for themselves, here are a few reasons why being the boss is the best.

Family
Little Princess is appearing as the Good Fairy in the school play. She’s practiced her 1 line over and over (in all 3 rehearsals), found her character, applied what she’s learned to ‘the method’, and the pressure is mounting.
I can almost hear Cameron Mackintosh picking up the phone to sign her up immediately.
The grand performance is on Wednesday at 11am and the tension is building.
Will you be there? Does the Pope search for WiFi in the woods?

Because you’re the boss, you can, and you had better, be there. Re-arrange meetings and take as much time out of the office as is needed.
Little Princess trumps paying clients everyday.

Toys
You need to be adaptable and accessible.
Clients expect you to answer emails 24/7, they expect you to fix problems immediately no matter where you are – after all that’s what they’re paying you for, so you need access to company files, internet access and always be a phone call away. So, invest in the right kit, buy the toys you need and research and implement processes that will make everyone’s life easier. But, also remember to not over complicate things or spend on stuff you simply don’t need.

Weather
It’s been snowing all night, and you know public transport will be a PITA.
You’re the boss so you choose to work from home. No problem, of course as you’re kitted to the hilt and you’ve put in secondary plans (see above) and besides, your duvet is warmer than your desk.
Need something from the office? Pffftt … get the intern/ freelancer on it.

Choose you
Ultimately most of us only want to do what we want to do. As the boss you can choose the jobs you like and for everything else there’s the freelancer, the intern or the employee.
Do not struggle on every aspect of the job and certainly never micro-manage but look to what you do best and do that.
If you know someone better at accounts than you – sub that job out, know nothing about internal networks, get the bloke you met at networking to sort it for you.
As a rule of thumb, work out how long it’ll take you to do the job, multiply that number by your hourly rate then see if you can get someone else to do it better and at a lower cost.

Being the boss can be the best job ever, but, it can also be a tough, demanding role.
Choose wisely and remember – Me, Family, Work – in that order.