I write about empowerment and entrepreneurship because there’s a lot of overlap with those topics when it comes to living your dream.

Based on the success of books like bestseller The 4-Hour Work Week ^[1] many people dream of being self-employed. It seems like most of us dream of working from home or working from anywhere so we can easily travel.

But is self-employment all it’s cracked up to be? To succeed in self-employment you need to be resilient, flexible, resourceful, confident and willing to take risks. I’ve been at it for 12 years and it’s not the golden dream some people imagine. Personally, I wouldn’t have it anyother way but you should consider what it’s really like to be self-employed and make sure it’s a dream that’s going to agree with you before you try it.

Really knowing why you want to be self-employed and seeing what the longterm benefits could be should motivate you to go for it and keep at it when you do set up business on your own. My goal is to help you find out what you do want in life and then help you get it so let’s find out if self-employment’s for you.

I’ve come up with a few pros and cons about self-employment and I’d love it if you add more in the comments.

Pros of Being Self-Employed

1. Flexibility of location.
2. Save time – no wasted hour commuting to work.
3. Choice - of when you work, how often and for how long
4. Be your own boss.
5. Wear what you like.
6. Potential to earn more.
   

Cons of Being Self-Employed

1. No fixed income – You may have no income at all to begin with and when you do it may be quite unstable with high earnings one month and low the next. If you’re just setting up your own business you should make sure you have a financial cushion to keep you going in the beginning when you don’t earn much.
2. No Perks – free stationary, Internet, photocopies, insurance and business class travel will probably be things of the past.
3. No paid vacations or downtime. For example, I often work on public holidays. If we go away on holiday we have to organise all the work before we go and sometimes check our email daily so we can take care of any unexpected problems.
4. No work mates – you’ll be the boss if you choose to employ anyone.
5. New responsibilities – You’ll probably need to have a broader experience and be able to understand all areas of business even if you don’t take care of them yourself. You’ll need a good understanding of things like finances, sales, marketing, Web design, Internet marketing and being a good boss so you can choose great people to take care of jobs you don’t do yourself.

What Do You Think About Self-Employment?

Are you already self-employed? Would you like to be? Why or why not?

New Branding and Website Design Very Soon

Next time you visit this website it should look very different.

The new logo and web design will be unveiled soon. Because we have to test it live on a variety of computers and browsers and then remove it if it needs tweaking I can’t say exactly when, but hopefully it will be live for your enjoyment within the next day or two.

Get In the Hot Spot will look totally different. It’s a huge change but definitely one for the better. The content will be the same although I’m always trying to improve that too. The toucan will be gone but the I can, you can, toucan attitude will stay.

I can’t wait to share the new look with you. I think we’ve managed to nail a fun but sophisticated look and create a place you’ll look forward to hanging out at. Definitely the start of something great and befitting for a place where you come to make yourself greater than ever before.

Upcoming Hot Spot Shop

I’m opening a shop here next week with a few select products that I recommend for budding entrepreneurs. I’ll only recommend books or courses I stand by 100% and truly feel offer the things I strive to provide here: good, down to earth advice, postitive motivation and integrity.

I’ve been scouring the Internet for excellent products for over a year and have come across two authors whose books or courses on entrepreneurship, setting up a business and being self-employed I recommend. They’re the hottest products available and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.

Thank you for reading ~ Please subscribe if you haven’t already

If you’re new here make yourself at home and check out some previous posts. I hope you’ll find my tips on empowerment and entrepreneurhsip useful. If so please take a moment to subscribe to Get In the Hot Spot. It’s a brilliant way to stay motivated and inspired plus it’s totally free.

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Photo by Scarleth White ^[4].