We’ve all seen the ads…
“BE YOUR OWN BOSS!”
…and then there is an image of a girl slammin’ a bikini by a pool, drinking lemonade, then playing tennis, then driving a hot convertible, then living in a mansion.
I’m waiting for someone to make an ad that shows images of someone in paint splattered work clothes, then in a basement office, then pecking away at a keyboard, then cruisin’ in a mini-van, then taking a break to make dinner and change diapers.
I am my own boss and have been for the past (almost) three years. I’ve never worked so hard or enjoyed my work so much in my life. If you’re thinking of “taking the plunge”, here are some realistic ups and downs you can expect…
You are your own boss. That means you can decide how much you work, which jobs you take, what your focus will be, how you’ll work, what you’ll invest in…everything. It’s terrifying and liberating all at one time.
Your can pursue your passions. Simply put, you can do what you love to do. I love writing this blog. I love shopping for antiques and cool home decor. I love working on my home, painting furniture, creating and making things. I get to do what I really enjoy and I’m making a living doing it.
You set your schedule. You can take a vacation when you want. You can work when you have babysitters, into the wee hours or when it’s your “peek time.” This is so important to me, because it means I get to be home with my kids and there for my family.
You are in control. You can fly as high as your wings will carry you and you get to harvest the rewards of that.
You are your own boss. Wait, isn’t that good? Yes and no. You have to be self-motivated when you’re tired and uninspired. You have to make tough decisions about when to say yes, when to say no, when to grow, and when to let go. As I said…terrifying and liberating. All at the same time. Lots of tears can be involved.
You can become a slave to your work. You are always going to have time commitments, deadlines and obligations. So even though your schedule is your own, it can be hard to take breaks, go on vacations and slow down once things get going. I have to write for my blog, fill my retail space and I have freelance writing deadlines. I can’t walk away and let someone else do it all for me. I continually have to work on balance, so things don’t get out of hand.
You’re responsible. It can be overwhelming when you have to be the accountant, the receptionist, the admin, the photographer, the stylist, the labor, the picker, the buyer, the appraiser, the upholsterer, the CEO, CFO, COO all rolled into one. You can fly high, but you can fall hard, too. It’s a lot of pressure and you have to have good people around you to support, encourage and help you.
I’m on the heels of a vacation, so this is fresh on my mind. I hope it encourages and gives a “head’s up” to those who are wishing to “be their own boss.” Go for it, but know what you’re in for!
I decided not to take Janet through security tomorrow. I think a requirement of people working for the TSA is zero sense of humor. (Sorry to any TSA employees who are readers! This excludes you, of course.) Besides, I don’t think she would fit in the overhead compartment.
56 Responses
On a totally unrelated note, I can't hear the name Janet without thinking of that song from Rocky Horror Picture Show…
Sarah S.
Great post! I find it so much more satisfying being my own boss and I too, struggle with balancing it all.
Love your blog and everything you create.
Mary
Thank you for posting this. I want to take the "plunge" I think I've read your starting a business series 20 times.
I'm SO thankful you are so open and willing to share.
I need it! 🙂
Great post! A big pat on your back for going 3 years strong working for yourself! This is a huge accomplishment and you should be very proud of the passion and dedication {sweat and tears} that brought you to where you stand today.
I am my "own boss" on a part time basis {someday … fingers crossed … it will be my full time gig :)}. Still, I can totally relate to the "bad" … becoming a slave to your work … I can totally get sucked into the black hole working happily away and time just FLIES by b/c I have such a passion and deeply rooted love for my designs. But I have to remember, I have a family and a life to live outside of my hobby {aka: part-time job :)} {thankfully, the hubs is uber supportive, which helps A LOT!}
xo Cat
ps. you look kick-butt rockin' out with that power sander!
Love what you said. It is so true. There is so much to juggle having your own business and it gets overwhelming sometimes. But it is so enjoyable and personally rewarding (even if it isn't bringing in a lot of cash, yet!). Love your blog and your tutorials. Keep encouraging us little guys! 🙂
Thanks Marian!
Karen
Thanks so much for this post Marian. I'm about to take the plunge so this is exactly what I needed! 🙂
Ack, so true! I thought that when I took the plunge, I would have more time to do it all. In actually, my house is messier than ever, I stay up half the night, spend less time relaxing and I still can't find the time to get everything done. And I love every minute of it!!
Perfect timing….I am pondering taking the plunge too! I have dabbled in it before but I am thinking full speed ahead this time! It is very inspiring to see your successes!! thank you for sharing!
No Truer words! As a self employed decorative artist I know what you mean. I work harder than I ever did for anyone else but I love it!
Great advice. Have a wonderful vacation!
You could buy Janet a ticket but she would need a social security card. It looks like alot of work doing what you do. You have age on your side. I will just do it for fun. Love all your projects and following your blog.
I so want to be my own boss. Thanks for sharing the down and dirty along with the perks.
Thank you so much for sharing with us all who are out here! I too am deciding on starting my own business. Well I have my own sewing business that I just started working on the last couple of months. I too am really loving working on furniture. I too am really trying to find my passions……..and you have helped me alot! So blessings to you!
so youre not wearing a bikini and driving a convertible? well shoot… that sure changes my image of you 😉
but seriously- you are amazing. I have been following your blog for over a year now, and just the growth I have seen in that time shows me how DEDICATED and DETERMINED you are. You are an amazing business owner, even in this tough economy. I have seen too many people with businesses that could THRIVE- that muck it all up and end up closed down before they can blink. This is a wonderful post!
Oh see i've been in my own business for a decade & i tell you – you have every single client as your boss, every single sale counts as it's direct income & yes, you never work harder in your life.
I wouldn't have it any other way, raising 4 children with a husband constantly overseas in war zones, my work is my piece of happiness & my happy clients make me feel amazing. Love Posie
Loved the post, great insight! Hope you're doing well. By the way, I love what you've done with your kitchen. I've been reading on my phone lately so i haven't been able to comment.
My favorite local fabric store now has "faux" grain sack fabric. It's really nubby and aged looking. They have the stripes, (set far apart, like the real thing), in blue, black, and I think a khaki. They even had a few panels with a rooster, but it didn't look quite as authentic as the stripes. I took a picture just in case you haven't seen it.
Janet isn't going through security??? There will be some very disappointed screeners, I'm sure. 😀
This post is so true! My mother has run her own company for 25 years and I have worked for her for 18, when you are your own boss, you are always working! There are a million decisions to be made everyday but you have so much freedom to do what you want, when you want.
I have been my own boss for many years, and the self motivation part is soooo true. It's hard work, but I wouldn't have it any other way. P.S. Have you considered doing that alternative ad. lol
I started an Etsy business at the beginning of the year…partly due to the inspiration of Miss Mustard Seed…and I've never worked harder {or been happier} in my life. Right now I only make a "part-time" salary but work a "full time schedule" but I enjoy my work so it doesn't feel like working full time. The hardest part has been the tight rope walk between being a stay at home mom and a business owner. If finally enrolled my daughter 2 days a week at preschool and am going to up it to 3 days a week in the fall. Balance is key but I'm loving being my own boss! Thank you for all your inspiration and tips.
-Aaron {the girl with the boy's name}
MudpiesandMarigolds.blogspot.com
I love reading your old posts and seeing how much you have grown. You've taught me so much. I started doing this to help put my husband through school and recently decided to go big or go home. 🙂 Thank you for being yourself and all of your beautiful work!
I identify with this 100%. Started my painting business when my now nine year old, was 18 months. Eight and half years later, one more kid (three total), numerous moves, and my painting business evolving into remodeling/flipping/furniture refinishing….I wouldn't change a thing.
It has NOT been easy…tons of tears, fever blisters and a face that breaks out…but it has been worth it. I can't ever imagine going back to a 'real' job 😉
Thanks for this…it's always good to have a reminder to get motivated and know you're not the only one out there!
great post! i work from home and people often say how lucky i am {and i am} … "you work in your pjs, right?" being your own boss means setting a routine and changing out of the pjs!!
i'm hosting a july giftaway – anthropologie pillow and some goodies! i hope you'll enter!
Thanks for the GREAT advice! I often feel held back by my time constraints with being a mother…feel like that's the most important thing right now. But I want something for me, too, to be able to do besides wipe runny noses and fix lunches and suppers, school the kids. I want something that I feel like I can use the talents God gave me for, to give Him glory, to help my husband, to love life to it's fullest. It's a hard balance…hard to find. Hard to wait for. Thanks for the "pep" talk, and enjoy the flight home with your boys.
Time! Juggling!! Balance!!! All true and all hard to do!! Circus anyone? Ha!!
Balance is my goal, every day! And it is hard!
Hugs
SueAnn
Very good points! One thing that helps in being your own boss is if one has a spouse or partner who brings the health care benefits into the picture. (I am assuming that this is the case in your circumstances?) It is a lot harder to be self-employed if a huge chunk must go out to pay this. I know of what I speak! Buying one's own health care can upwards into $800/month for a family in today's world.
Sometimes people romanticize the being your own boss a lot. A lot of hard work goes into that and I think finding the motivation to keep going is the hardest thing sometimes.
Very well said!
You make some excellent points here. if I may, I'd like to add a couple more. I've been running my own business for almost 10 years now. My business isn't decor (it is design, however), but my mom's been running her own business for over 30 years, and I find that what I've leanred holds true for any self-employed person.
I have learned three very important rules, and I believe if you follow these three rules, you will have a happy and successful run in your self-employment. The first is to ALWAYS follow your gut. Pay attention to those "little red flags" that pop up when an opportunity comes along. I have a very low tolerance for crap, so if I get even one little red flag, I'll pass on the "opportunity" completely. I have learned the hard way to listen to my instincts. When I've ignored them, I have always, ALWAYS regretted it. It has never turned out that it was okay in the end.. It's nev been worth it, every time. So don't waste your time. Red flags/ gut instinct says no? Pay attention, trust me.
The second is to never undervalue yourself. Figure out how much you want to get paid for your time and expertise, and charge it. Don't undercut yourself because you think you're charging too much. You aren't. If YOU don't value yourself, what makes you think anyone else will? I've found, over the years, the that old saying "you get what you pay for" works in reverse,too. Since I've charged what I feel I'm worth, I have GREAT clients who I love working with, who value my time as much as I do, and in some cases, pay me MORE than I've asked for. But when I was working for pennies, what I got were penny-pinching, everything-for-the-nothing clients who were never satisfied in the end, and who knew NO boundaries. (I had one client who looked me up so she could call me AT HOME at 11pm on a Tuesday night to complain. She got SO fired.)
and finally, it's okay to say NO. Especially as women. It's a fact that women are generally nutruters/Hellers on some level or another, and we always feel like if someone beds us, we MUST help them. NO YOU DON'T. if you don't have time, or.. Well see the two points above.. You can say no. (I've found that when I do say no, it makes people want to wait for me and pay more!) If you don't want to, or you can't, then say so. It'll save a TON of heartache and exhaustion (among other issues) in the end.
those three things are key to having a successful business. So many people I know keep these as the basic "musts" for how they handle heir businesses that you just can't go wrong with them!
Holy crap I should never type comments on my iPad. That whole comment of mine belongs on stupidautocorrect.com! Please ignore the weirdness – hopefully the message comes across properly!
Great post! You were meant to be your own boss and it suits you so well! 😉 Your work reflects your determination and you do a fabulous job. You're such an inspiration!
Loved the WWC post! You both have such a beautiful style!
R
Thanks for sharing! It's fun to follow your business journey. My husband had his own business for ten years, and we too know the ups and downs as we worked this together. The best part was getting out of office politics for that time! He never had one complaint from a customer in all those years. There is a good feeling about having complete control of the quality of your business. He worked long and hard hours and did lots and lots of traveling, but loved that fact that the hard work was for us. Whatever we invested was what was returned to us. The down side were the expenses of a business, even though we based it from our home. We had to pay all our social security. An employer did not pay half. We had to pay for all our health insurance, which was very costly and even at that high price, had a ridiculously high deductible. Of course there was no reimbursement for travel or lodging. (He slept in the car a lot on return business trips!) And like you said, you never really turn it off. There is ALWAYS something that needed to be done!
I am a former school counselor who has been inspired by your blog and others to do my own little start-up. I am jumping in with a booth at a local antique mall, and I am totally excited about it. Thanks for the tips and those that the other readers shared as well. You just might have a book here, but wait, I think you are already busy enough and it is not my job to give you additional work. I suggest you think about it and as one reader said, "Go with your gut!" However, just saying I think that there are a lot of folks out there that would love to read something inspired by women who are going out and taking the proverbial bull by the horns. Blessings!
Jealous!
Good words my dear! I have been my own boss for a long time now ( I suspect my parents might have said since the moment I was born!).. and it is wonderful but it is more work than you will ever do in any other job.. good work. but hard and long and trying to figure out where to draw the line can be hard.
And while someone else also said it.. my biggest words of advice at not to undervalue yourself and not to under charge!.. it does none of us a service when you don't value your work by charging enough for it! Make sure you are at least making a living wage with your work!
As mothers who have taken it on we are buidling bridges for our duaghters and sons to explore their passions and perhaps find their own way to create an income.. to do less as we build that bridge for them is foolish.
Maddie
thank you for the clear insight into being your own boss.
1} i would say that the only things that one can expect to do for the freedoms of independent ownership, no matter the medium, is hard work and pushing to grow.
2} also as you have said, if you don't already have support staff like great family and friends in place, get some. my husband is working on our taxes right now, and i sure would pay anything to have someone professionally do them quickly, accurately and not bite my head off.
3} love what you do. itch to go to work every day.
as always miss mustard seed, you see the forest for the trees.
now i must look for the one envelope that has gone missing and will keep us in health insurance. (weeping and cringing internally. it could be lost in this haystack).
thank you for your clear cut wisdom, wendy
You know, MMS, it's just like the ads for breast feeding. You know- the skinny woman, sitting in the plush rocking chair during the day, smiling at her content baby, with no stains on her white, diaphanous gown. The reality for me was so different- baby screaming, me crying in pain, stains, bags under the eyes, excess weight, a sweatshirt instead of a gown, in the middle of the night. Is this too graphic? Don't worry, it got much better after time and I don't regret any of it. But, the ads definitely are deceiving. 😉
Fondly, Tami
http://www.thisandthatfromtami.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for this perfectly timed (for me at least) post. I've just made the big plunge to start this "be your own boss" journey and your advice and insights are, as always, invaluable.
But does this mean I have to return the bikini I just bought? Dang!
Best, David
Excellent food for thought! Thanks for sharing the good, the bad, the ugly. 🙂
Another thing to consider is the state you reside in and how they treat small business ie: TAXES! (Is my Jersey showing?)
Great post!
Your Friend,
Deborah
Amen, sister. Great post and it's encouraging to know that while I love what I do, it's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed and shed a tear sometimes. I wouldn't have it any other way though!
Oh boy do I understand, what it takes to be your own boss. I work from home (embroidery business). There are tons of ups and downs, but I wouldn't change a thing. I can work when I want/need and slow down when I start to get a little burnt out!
I enjoy your blog and am new to painting.
As a small business owner myself, I must agree with you 100 percent on each of your topics. Being your own boss: the good, the bad and the ugly but wonderful, all rolled into one.
But Janet … does this mean you left her curbside at the airport or will she be flying solo another time?
SuZeQ ~ kosec@sbcglobal.net
Holy cow! This is a subject that gets people talking! There's nothing more rewarding to see what you can do on your own! But jump in with open eyes. I've been self employed for twenty years and as everyone knows, it's not a bed of roses. After working for yourself, you're probably unemployable by someone else, because you're so used to calling all the shots. It's not for everyone but we've become a huge part of our country's economy.
If I can add two things, 1) make sure you have ample funds to leave a paycheck behind. It will take at least 6-12 months before you start bringing in steady income. And as others have said, there are all the hidden business expenses that need to be considered, when establishing your pricing and profit goals. 2) treat your small business as a large business. Set up systems that will grow as your business grows. The Internet has leveled the playing field for so many home based businesses. Reality for the customer, is how professionally you present yourself, your business and your service. Lots of people start out part time while working for someone else. It's tiring but gives you a chance to make sure you're ready to take the plunge. Either way, go for it!
Marian I'm right there with you – slave to my work, covered in sawdust, paint always on my arms and hands, working every smidgen of time I can get while the kids are occupied. But I LOVE IT too! A true labor of love and it shows through.
BaaaaHaaaaa! Love the visual of stuffing "Janet" in the overhead compartment!
I have been my own boss for several years now . . . first with a craft business and now with my wedding decor business. I have enjoyed all of the ups and loathed the downs . . . but have found that I rebound faster from the downs as my own boss than when i was a full time teacher. Having my own business is rewarding and allows me to create a life that I want for myself and for my family.
Thanks for posting! I often wear a bikini while setting up for weddings . . . I wonder if I can get my pic onto one of those ads?!?!?! LOL!
-Amanda @ The Ivy Cottage Blog
Couldn't have said it better myself!!
Shelly is SO right….I read her post above and it is truly eye opening…I have learned the gut instincts the hard way, I have undervalued myself more times than I care to count and after three years, I have reached that place where I am not ashamed to say No if I can't do something.
I love your blog…Goin' with the Flo got me onto your blog…she is uber talented and I love reading both of your blogs…keep it up!
Laurie Boerner
http://www.lauriecoledesigns.com
Hey Marian,
Thanks for all the shout outs ;->
Now can you please link them to my blog?
I'm teasing…you now that…right????
Janet xox
http://theemptynest-janet.blogspot.com/
PS…wait till you see what I'm bringing back from NY!!!!!!
Just one of the coolest things EVER!!!!!
You will love it
I've been my own boss for at least 20 years now and I wouldn't have it any other way. 🙂
Donna
Thank you for your constant inspiration.
I recently began doing what I want to do full-time. In June I began displaying my vintage finds at The Vintage Market in Leawood, KS. I have never been so happy and so exhausted in my whole life.
I left my IP Paralegal position that I had held for over 4 years last week, and was scared to do so. But, after reading all of your great information about starting a business, and today the "Good and the Bad", I know I did the right thing. I love finding the diamond in the rough, and going to all of the sales to find that diamond. I love the painting, and the cleaning, and being able to see the potential in something that may have seen better days come to life as something beautiful.
You are an inspiration, I love your posts, and your shared talent. I hope that in a couple of years I have some people admire me, as so many admire you.
I have to start by saying that your work is incredible. Your pieces are inspiring! I also love your posts on starting your own business and being your own boss! I appreciate your honesty…and of course your sense of humor!
Thank you for your words of wisdom. I've been fantasizing about being my own boss especially as I sit here at my cubicle in my windowless office. I fully appreciate how hard you are working and hope that you can relax while on vacation.
Amen!! I took a vacation on the spur of the moment with my family last week and truly enjoyed every minute. The ache in my neck was gone. I slept every night. It was bliss. This week, as no little fairy magically flit in and accomplished my work…I'm in a mess! Seriously, this is one of the few drawbacks of being self-employed!! I love your post. You always make me smile!! 🙂
I am cracking up over here in CA. When I first really started putting time into the furniture biz was when my twins were still in diapers. I used to literally live in paint splattered overalls. ALL DAY. It got so bad that my sweet husband actually asked if I wouldn't mind wearing something else once in a while when he came home from work. Now my kids are older. I am on my 2nd pair of paint splattered overalls, and my kids BEG me to not show up at their school in this get up. (I did once or twice…..Hey, I am walking advertisement for my business, people want to know what I am painting!)
This series is so inspiring and helpful! I am slowly in the process of starting a business similar to yours in Northeast Pa. I would love more info on getting a dot com and building a website, and How you determine what to pay yourself and pricing your items. Thanks! Keep up the inspiration! P.S. I've been rockin' a bandanna for years too, LOL
This is so great!! I’m slowly starting my own business in Asheville NC. Your blog is such a blessing. It’s given me courage to go for it. Thank you :))