Is self-employment really for you?
Jack was a plumber with a big UK energy company for 25 years. He left the company following an accident and has been out of work and living on savings for 6 months.
He’s now thinking about setting up his own plumbing business. In addition to his trade he has some computer experience but hasn’t used it for any start-up homework.
For Jack the main attraction of going self-employed is not being tied to set hours.
Like many people, he likes the idea of being able to work when he wants. The only problem is that being successful on your own means working when your customer wants, not when you do. You have to be available!
Many people do get more job satisfaction working for themselves. But it comes at a price. They also tend to work longer hours than people in standard employment. This is partly because they need to spend time finding new jobs, keeping good records and staying in touch with clients.
Worth bearing in mind.