[Courses] chapter one: Running A Business

[Michelle Murrain]

Great beginning, Carla! Thanks for these ideas. Here are my "chime ins"...

At 8:40 PM +0000 8/13/02, Carla Schroder wrote:
>DEBUNKING SELF-EMPLOYMENT MYTHS
>1. "it is less secure to work for yourself than to have an employer"
>This one is easy- you have been paying attention the last 25 years, haven't
>you? There is absolutely zero security in working for someone else. Many of
>my friends have been out of work for two years now. I haven't missed a
>paycheck. They've been of wildly varying sizes, but in 25 years I've never
>gone hungry or had to borrow rent money.

I have a bit of a different perspective, but agree in principal. I've 
only been doing this for 3 years full time, and I left a *truly* 
secure position (tenured academic). As Carla says, the paychecks are 
of wildly varying sizes, but I too haven't gone hungry - at the 
beginning, I did eat a lot of ramen noodles :-)

I think the security part is a big picture thing. No job is 
inherently secure, really - your employer could go out of business, 
fire you, etc. But there is unemployment insurance, which you don't 
get when you are self-employed, but unemployment runs out, for sure.

But there is the micro security issue. Someone who is unemployed 
knows they are getting a paycheck at the end of the month (or week). 
Even if they totally space out all month. If I space out all month, I 
don't get paid.

But, having said all that, I feel every bit as secure right now, as I 
did having tenure as an academic.

You are as secure as you are willing to make yourself.

>2. Must be a super-sales ace
>Nope, not at all. For some reason when I say "work for yourself" the first
>thing people envision is going door-to-door, suffering rejection and abuse.
>Don't do that- we'll talk about how to generate business the fun, natural way.

Yes - I HATE sales, and, in fact, have never done it.

>3. You need bank loans to get started
>Nuh uh. Don't borrow money to get started.

I didn't borrow money to get started.

>What Do I Really Want To Do?

Gosh I couldn't agree more. I decided to do this because it was what 
I wanted to do! I love almost every day of my work, and that makes 
the hard days, and the bits of stuff that everyone goes through a lot 
easier.
-- 
.Michelle

--------------------------
Michelle Murrain, Technology Consulting
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