Self-employment vs. Being Employed

I don’t have a startup mindset and I love “working for the man”. 

It took me a while to comprehend that it’s normal to not aim to have your own business and work for a corporation. I’m a great enforcer, and that’s what I like doing.

• I haven’t ever enjoyed working 24/7 and getting work calls at 11 PM.
• I can’t be productive for more than 10 hours a day, and perhaps I’m too conceited for 8 hours.
• I love corporate morale, company events, and branded t-shirts and backpacks.
• I like working in a team and I know how to trust, delegate, and ask for help.

I found myself at a crossroads some years ago and I’m glad I’ve made the right decision.

Here are my three pieces of advice (a.k.a. three questions you should ask yourself):

Do I want to run a company or just have “entrepreneurial” status?

 “Entrepreneur | Founder | Startup Advisor” - if the status on LinkedIn is all that you want, it’s more likely not the right time for you to start. All startup founders I personally know have spent nights working and took loans to develop their “baby” - far from what society considers “success”, isn’t it?

I’m not ashamed to confess I felt this way once when I was working with a friend of mine on our own marketing agency. Even though we had few clients, for me it was more about status, rather than money or experience.

Am I ready to work for years without significant output?

For me, it’s important to see the outputs and results of my actions, both tangible and intangible. Being financially unstable without a steady income - this is what I couldn’t afford myself in 2014 while working with my friends on a startup in the advertising field. I didn’t have a proper safety cushion at that time and this uncertainty hindered the work process.

Review your financial situation, income, expenses, and credits. In my opinion, instead of romanticizing entrepreneurship and burning one’s boat with employment, it is worth it to carefully build a financial plan for the upcoming months and years.

What do I really think of working as an employee?

Is it stable? Will I have an option to develop myself? Will the salary meet my expectations?

Be honest with yourself and write all the pros and cons about a corporate career.

I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about company structure and different verticals while being employed by big corporations. Startups have taught me how to work hands-on and quickly adapt to a line of work.

In conclusion, not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur. What you need to be is yourself. You can always be an entrepreneur and bring new ideas to any place you work!