Job. That dirty 3 letter word! Do you really own a business or do you feel overwhelmed and underpaid for your efforts as a business owner? Did you buy yourself a job?
Too often people open a business with great dreams and then soon find themselves working longer days for less pay with far more headaches than when they worked for someone else. If this sounds familiar you may have just bought yourself a job.
Here are 5 signs that you bought yourself a job!
1. You though you could make more money than what your company was paying you.
I’ve found that more often than not the businesses were started because the owner once worked for a company. Yes, you were someone else’s employee. The company you worked for appeared to generate a much greater revenue than they were paying you. You were required to be in the office or on the job for a certain amount of time each week. You knew that you were great at your craft and could go into business yourself and make as much if not more money than the company you were working for. Voila! You started a business! AKA bought yourself a job.
2. You thought you could work less.
First of all, let me tell you that you’re not alone. I hear this from business owners almost every day. “I thought I could work less.” The reality is being a business owner, if not done properly, can result in the owner working far greater hours than their employees for much less money. In fact, I’ve calculated the value of many business owners’ hours. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were master plumbers, each making $65 per hour in their roles at ABC plumbing. They knew ABC plumbing charged their customers $150.00 per hour.
So, Mr. and Mrs. Smith thought if they had their own business they could charge $120.00 per hour, giving them more income in fewer hours each week. The reality? Mr. and Mrs. Smith were each working over 84 hours a week in and on their business. When it was all said and done they were earning $8.03 an hour. If you’re working more than 5-25 hours a week or making less than you could as an employee you’ve bought yourself a job.
If you’re working more than 5-25 hours a week or making less than you could as an employee you’ve bought yourself a job.
The reality? Mr. and Mrs. Smith were each working over 84 hours a week in and on their business. As a result, they were earning $8.03 an hour. If you’re working more than 5-25 hours a week or making less than you could as an employee you’ve bought yourself a job.
3. You thought you could operate the business the way you wanted to.
Many business owners truly believe that they can do it better. While many actually can, many don’t understand what it takes to do it better. They get so focused on selling their product or service that they lose sight of what is truly important to run a successful business. They wake up each day looking for the next sale rather than projecting, planning, and strategizing for the future of their company. If you spend more time acting as an employee you’ve bought yourself a job.
4. You wanted to be your own boss.
Well, how’s that going for you? Is your new boss (you) demanding? Does he or she make you work long hours? Do you get the pay you deserve on a consistent basis? Are you able to truly do what you do best or are you responsible for too many areas of the business like sales, marketing, finance, technology, product and service development, and operations? Are you able to take vacations with your family or does your boss convince you that you can’t leave the business because you have too much work to do? If this is your new boss you’ve bought yourself a job.
5. You wanted freedom.
Maybe, just maybe, you were tired of being tied to a desk or business location. Are you truly free now? Can you take long vacations while your business still runs and continues to grow without your presence…completely without you? I don’t mean you go on vacation with your laptop and work here and there. I mean the business truly runs and grows without any contact with you for an extended period of time. If you can’t take extended vacations you’ve bought yourself a job.
So, if you’re like many businesses I’ve coached over the last several years you can relate to all 5.
However, you can become a true business owner.
Finally, you can have a successful business that runs and continues to grow without you. There are 6 key elements to creating your new future as a business owner. If you’re tired of the rat-race, ready to make a change and committed to success find out what it takes to Start Owning Your Business and Stop Letting it Run You! Or contact me today at [email protected] for a complimentary business success consultation!