TOP 10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE BEING MY OWN BOSS
It’s National Boss Day today, which got me thinking about the past seven months of being my own boss. Here are the top 10 things I've learned!
1.Everything is your fault
You are in charge so, inevitably, everything points back to you. Every decision, good or bad, reflects on you. People love it, its your fault, people hate it, it’s your fault. Really, everything is your fault.
2.Your alarm clock becomes more of a suggestion than an actual call to action
You silently negotiate with your alarm, knowing that you can just work late to makeup the extra hours. I mean really, are you going to fire yourself?
3.Your friends often wonder if they missed the news of your funeral
It is not uncommon to receive texts like “Are you alive?” “Where are you?” “Is everything ok?” because they haven’t seen or heard from you in 2 weeks which to you felt like 2 days because you’ve just been working so much, you lost track of time.
4.You long for home-cooked food
You are usually so busy that the thought of cooking doesn’t cross your mind until you are already way too hungry to actually make food. So its McDonald’s again. And you’re dreaming if you think you have time for the gym, so thank God for good metabolism!
5. You don’t actually know when the weekend is
You can’t differentiate between a Wednesday and a Saturday. You’re building a brand here, the week ends when the work is done.
I know for some of you I’ve probably painted a pretty grim picture of life as the head of a startup, but for those of you that are in my boat you aren’t seeing the above list as negatives because:
6.Most days, work doesn’t feel like work.
You are doing what you love to do. You are doing what you’re good at. It’s not necessarily difficult. It just takes time!
7.You have friends and family who support you
Whether they understand what you do all day or not, they are there for you when you need them…sometimes with food, They will celebrate your victories with you and help you through your hard times.
8. You can make your own schedule
You can work whenever you want from wherever you want. After all, you’re the boss.
9.People begin to recognize your work
There is no better feeling than when hard work pays off. And it will! When it does, you forget about every all-nighter you pulled, every frustration and failure you had, and they become a badge of honor, which simply says, ‘you’ve earned this!’
The number one thing I’ve learned that makes being your own boss, the best job in the world is that:
10.You are building your dream!
I think Tony Gaskins summed it up quite nicely when he said, “If you don’t build your own dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs.”
Being my own boss has been hard work. It has meant sleepless nights, sewing injuries, major mess ups, major accomplishments, inspiring achievements, amazing opportunities, building great connections and having a whole lot of fun. I love my job.
