The Right Attitude for the Self-Employed - 10 Important Requirements
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| Photo by Alizée Baudez on Unsplash |
Perhaps the most important difference is the right attitude towards self-employment.
This is exactly where many self-employed people fail. Today I'll take a look at what constitutes the right attitude for the self-employed and what many fail because of.
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| The Right Attitude for the Self-Employed - 10 Important Requirements |
Be Independent
According to studies, self-employment is now a possible alternative to unemployment for many Germans, but that's actually where the problems start.
Because self-employment should neither be an emergency plan in the event of unemployment nor do many Germans have the right idea or the right perspective when they think about self-employment.
When I talk to employees, I often hear the following:
“Independence means freedom. You can work whenever you want and you make very good money. "
Ideally, this may also be the case, but most only see an ideal image of independence, but overlook something important.
Become Independent
The way there is paved with a lot of work and time. This is exactly what many people have no idea about.
In your head, you have to be ready to go the way, not just to be rich and have a lot of free time at some point, but to go the way itself.
In self-employment, a vision is very important (more on this below), but above all the journey is the goal.
And those who start their own business because they want more free time and want to earn a lot of money will find themselves on the hard ground of reality faster than they would like.
But what is the right attitude for a self-employed person?
The Right Attitude for the Self-Employed
In the following, I would like to list 10 things that, in my experience, are important for the right attitude as a self-employed.
The list is of course not set in stone. Everyone is different and so individual points can also differ or be added. In my opinion, however, many of the requirements listed below are important for every self-employed person and, as a whole, ensure the right, successful attitude.
The following items are arranged alphabetically.
- Discipline
Again and again, I see bloggers and website owners who want to build a successful internet project, but only work on it when they feel like it, are motivated or the muse has kissed them. That's just not how you become successful. Successful independence also means discipline.
On days when you don't feel like getting up to go to work anyway, even though no boss threatens you with consequences. It is precisely this discipline that often makes the difference between success and failure.
You can often recognize this by the fact that sentences like “There is simply no market there” or “I can do what I want, it just won't work anymore”. Unfortunately, most of them look for blame everywhere, just not for themselves. - Wanting It
A very important point that may seem trivial. But that's why I wrote above, for example, that self-employment must not be an emergency solution to unemployment.
You have to want to be 100% independent. Only then will you be able to muster the perseverance, discipline, and sacrifice to be successful. - Earning Money
While as an employee you only have to think about the technical side, the self-employed is ultimately about making money. So many professionally very capable self-employed people have failed because they did not understand that you have to earn money.
It has nothing to do with cheating on customers. But you have to focus your activities, your lines, your product range, etc. primarily on earning money. Those who only want to think about their technical issues should stay employed. - Generalist Instead of Expert
This point has a lot to do with the previous one. Instead of “just” being an expert in a field and thus certainly having very good opportunities as an employee, you have to do everything as a self-employed person.
Of course, there is the possibility of outsourcing, but you have to do a lot of things yourself, especially at the beginning. You should be a planner, creative, salesperson, service employee, controller, etc. in one person. And you should be ready for it in your head and not see it as a chore. - Think Long-Term
Most of the self-employed do not become successful overnight. Those who think of profit in the short term and ignore long-term consequences will rarely be and remain successful.
Instead, it is important to have staying power, and of course, that has to do with other points on this list, such as “really wanting it”. In addition, almost nothing is better (sorry ;-)) than building up a little longer and then benefiting from it at some point. - Self-Marketing
Even if I have already mentioned the generalist, the point “self-marketing” needs to be mentioned again separately. It is extremely important to find new customers yourself and to sell your services, products, or even yourself.
Nobody out there has been waiting for you and nobody will break in your real or virtual door just because you are now self-employed. And it's not enough to just offer very good things. The flood of information is huge both online and offline. And you have to actively make yourself heard. - Fun
A few years ago I would not have seen fun as an important prerequisite for success as a self-employed person. After all, there are tons of employees who work and make money when they aren't having fun.
But now I am sure that most will only be successful in self-employment if they also have fun doing it. I wouldn't be where I am online and offline today if I didn't enjoy my work. And so I don't refer to my 10 or 12 hour days as overtime, but simply as the time in which I work on what I enjoy. - Dealing with Obstacles
As a self-employed person, you will very often come across obstacles. Of course, everything could go smoothly in theory, but in practice, there are always obstacles in the way and things don't go as they should.
This shows another very important prerequisite for success as a self-employed person. Do I stick my head in the sand or do I accelerate and overcome the obstacles?
Ignoring something, putting off something, or burdening others may work as an employee. As a self-employed person, you have to solve problems and overcome obstacles. And as soon as possible. - At Work and Companies Not Only in the Company
I have mentioned here on the blog have often also an important point. Many self-employed people sink into their daily work and after 10 years wonder why they are still not doing much better than they were then. It is not enough to work hard, you also have to work smart.
And that includes building up and expanding your independence/company. That doesn't always have to mean employees etc. But it just means that with the same (or even less) investment in time and manpower, you will make more over time.
That can be, in which one not only provides project-related services but also, for example, developing software that can be sold to many without starting from scratch for each customer. Or you can bind customers to yourself and regularly collect money for other services or products. Or you specialize and get more and more money for your services over time.
Or you try to build 1: n income streams (instead of 1: 1). It's one of my favorite strategies. - Vision
Last but not least, it is of course also important to have a vision. This can be very motivating if you just have to torture yourself again or if obstacles block your way.
However, I don't have an exact vision to follow. Instead, it is more the feeling of independence and freedom mentioned above that one feels at some point. Among other things, I have now achieved the small goal of “being able to reject customers” and it is very pleasant not to have to take every customer.
But if you don't have a long-term vision, at some point you will no longer be able to motivate yourself despite having fun.
Conclusion
The most important factors for successful self-employment are not the official channels, not the accounting, not the invoicing, not the price calculation, not the advertisement in the newspaper, etc.
The most important success factor is the inner attitude
More tips for successful self-employment.
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