I Like Being Self-Employed
I like being self-employed. I am a copywriter and consultant, so I am able to manage my time to fit my needs and to create a balance between working and playing.
As an example:
I work on projects 12 days a month, putting in ten-hour days three days a week. I usually work Tuesday through Thursday.
Monday is spent marketing by attending a few leads groups (I don’t consider this work, since its mostly shmoozing).
I purposely take three day weekends Friday through Sunday. My reasoning is simple: Because I can. I spend my time taking short trips, attending football and baseball games, spoiling my grandkids and, in general, enjoying the fruits of my labors.
I limit the number of clients I work with to around a half-dozen and a maximum of ten. I negotiate my fees in such a way that I receive residuals on the work I produce as well as substantial upfront fees.
I refuse to take on a single client unless they are willing to pay enough in fees that I can hire a full-time staff to service their account. I prefer to spread the risk across several clients.
Finally, I enjoy what I do. I got tired of working for corporations that paid me below what I was worth, micro managed me until I puked and thought I should be thrilled with a two percent “cost of living” increase as a “raise”. Now, as imperfect and challenging as my business can be, I am happier, healthier and psychologically more secure.
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