Being an entrepreneur seems to be becoming more and more trendy in view of the evolutions of the working world. The word is getting out about well-being at work and the mental health of employees, and it appears that the permanent contract is no longer the grail it once was. Against a backdrop of health crisis and predicted recession, professionals are becoming aware that another way of working exists. Today, everyone dreams of being their own boss and some fantasize about a life as a digital nomad. But what is really behind the scenes of freelance life? What does it really mean to be an entrepreneur? Let’s dismantle 3 false beliefs that make you idealize the entrepreneurial life.
Being an entrepreneur means being able to earn more by working less
A presidential candidate had pronounced these words which had caused a lot of ink to flow at the time “Work more to earn more”. This is the operation of several salaried jobs that allow for overtime pay. As an employee, we work for our employer, we tend to work a lot, sometimes to earn more, in the form of bonuses or overtime. What you get most of all is fatigue, and you can imagine a freelance life where you could work less. Since we don’t have a boss, who could force us to work hard? But becoming your own boss and being able to work at your own pace is not always possible.
According to a study by Manuel Freeman that you can find
here
In fact, entrepreneurs may be particularly vulnerable to mental health risks. They are under enormous pressure to deliver results, not means, and they have to fill all the positions in their company when they start up. Indeed, an entrepreneur works much more than the average 35 hours of the French to be able to put his business on track. He has to be an accountant, a salesman, in the communication department… until he gets enough sales to change that.
It is still possible to earn a living as an entrepreneur without burning out by working too hard. Follow the slowpreneurship trend to work less but work better, and implement as many systems and automations as possible to help you save time and money more simply.
When you are an entrepreneur you can delegate everything
When you are your own boss, you can do only the tasks you like and leave the rest to your employees. You still need to have some! It is not in the first weeks or months of business that you are able to hire. This takes more time and requires stabilization of the turnover before you can delegate your work regularly. Many entrepreneurs are solopreneurs, i.e. solo entrepreneurs and are not able to delegate. To be an entrepreneur and to think that others will do everything for us, and that we can entrust everything to them, is not so obvious.
When the business is sustainable enough to hire, recruitment and management issues quickly arise. How do you find the right candidates who will invest in the company? How to manage the human and the professional in your company? This cannot be invented and is not within the reach of all entrepreneurs without making an effort. Welcoming employees requires that you have a lot of things in place before they arrive, such as processes that they can simply apply.
Finally, there are things like the vision of the company on the short, medium or long term, that a company manager can never delegate.
Being an entrepreneur is the ultimate freedom
Who has never dreamed of working from his computer at the seaside, under the coconut trees? The digital nomadism or tempting more than one today. It’s the image of an entrepreneur, often in online business, who has only his backpack and can land anywhere in the world to work. All it needs is a power outlet and wifi. Of course, one can benefit from this freedom of location, especially when one has an online business. But wanting to be your own boss so that you can work from wherever you want is not feasible in every industry.
Being self-employed finally requires a lot of rigor and respect for a work rhythm to be productive. If you have taken the day off because you have free time, you have to shift the workload to another time. In theory you can work whenever you want, but you still have to work.
And if you make a living from your business, that means you have customers. An entrepreneur, no matter how free he is, will always be accountable to those who buy his products or services and allow him to live his lifestyle.
Being an entrepreneur is more complex than social networks would have us believe. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before embarking on your entrepreneurial adventure so that you have all the cards in your hand.
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