Who creates your calendar and books every waking moment of your time? Who asks you to work evenings and weekends to grow your business? Who forces you to work with clients who are not really a good match, or pushes you to sell, sell, sell when you are tired or sick? Being self-employed means you are the boss. You set the agenda. If you're unhappy …
Are You Cut Out To Be Your Own Boss?
I had an interesting discussion with one of my clients recently. She's been in business for six months and is ready to quit. (I have permission to share her story.) She writes, "I give up. Starting a business is so much harder than I thought it would be, so much more time-consuming. I was hoping to be making a profit by now! There are so many …
How to Choose a Virtual Assistant
For over 15 years I worked with an assistant who came to my home office and helped me with the administrative side of my business. When I moved away from the area 18 months ago, I lost her services. I had two choices: look for another administrative assistant nearer to my new home office, or delve into the world of "virtual assistants." A …
The Continuing Self-Employment Boom
From the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship: New Census Bureau figures confirm what many experts have long suspected. The US is in the midst of a major boom in self-employment. 2004 data show that 19.5 million Americans are self-employed, and their numbers are growing. Between 2003 and 2004, the number of self-employed grew by 1 million (about …