Don’t Own Your Job

Published by Sean M. Lightfoot on Tagged Internet Sales, Affiliate Marketing, Business

Don’t Own Your Job

More people than ever are inclined to start a business of their own these days. Some KNOW that they are going to start a business, but have the faintest idea of what type of business that they’re going to start. I am a big fan of self-employment. Of course I am, I created this blog, which is about self-employment.

As I was thinking of the various types of businesses that I plan to discuss here, I realized that I not only wanted to tell people how to start home businesses, but I also want to tell them how to do it ‘Right!’ And ‘Right’ means, owning a successful business that experiences constant growth and having the freedom to enjoy the accomplishment.

Own Your Business Not Your Job

Ok, I’m almost sure that since you’re reading this now, that you’re one of those people that have or want to have their own business. Whether it’s a home business, internet business or a brick and mortar business, you need to think about the following question. Do you want to own a business or own your job? You may now want to ask me “How do I own my job?”

Well, “owning your job” is a term that business people use to label a business that requires you to work just as long and hard for yourself as you did when you were an employee. And in most cases, it’s for less money! Yes, you own your business, but you’re working as if it’s a job. Hence, the term “Owning Your Job.”

When you decide what type of business you want to start, make sure you consider if you’re starting this business for more freedom, more money or both. If more freedom is a deciding factor, like with me, then you know, that that business has to either have some type of semi-automatic piloting system or you have to have employees to run it while you’ve stepped out to enjoy some of that freedom that you’ve strived for.

If not, you will have to deal with the fact that your business does not operate without you. You take a week off and you miss out on 1 weeks worth of income or even worse, your clients/customers view you as unreliable for shutting sown shop for 7 days and take their business elsewhere.

For most home based businesses, this could be very detrimental. That is why I am very selective on the types of businesses that I am a part of. Working 6 or 7 days a week in a business that you own with a vacation no where in sight is worse than working a dead-end job. At least with a job you’ll make the time for vacation. And that’s what life is about, seeing the world and all of the beautiful things that God has created. If you’re going to work all of the time and not enjoy it, then what is the purpose?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that all new businesses require a lot of attention and care in the beginning. But, if working is all you have to look forward to after the business is off the ground, then you might want to reconsider the way that you plan on doing business. You may not need to change the type of business, maybe just the way that you plan on running it. For example: If you offer a service or a product, it might be a good idea to have a website with all of the information pertaining to your business, including detailed descriptions of the services or products that you offer. That way, you can have your web address on your business cards and when a customer only needs information they can just refer to your web page.

The Path To an Auto-Pilot Income

If your business works with ecommerce solutions, then shoot for internet sales and promote it whenever possible. That way, you can still make money and have your business taken care of while you’re away. Be creative when it comes to your business structure. Only you know what you expect out of your business and only you can ensure that you get what you set out to get.

There are businesses that can run almost totally on auto-pilot. Correct me if I’m wrong, but internet based business are the only types of businesses where you can take a run at true auto-pilot mode.

There are various degrees of auto-pilot and that can depend entirely on your creativity. I have always been a smart worker that’s always tried to find an easier and more efficient way of doing things. And I don’t think it gets any easier than directing someone to a website. Some home business are not structured to run without the presence of the owner. If this type of business is fine with you, then by all means, disregard this entire post, send me your email address and I’ll just send you pictures of my family and I on vacation while your family waits patiently for you to get a few days off without breaking the bank.

The reasoning for me choosing “home based” business as opposed to “any type” of business as the main topic for my blog is because I don’t like to see people working hard, wasting their lives away at that job that they own. I feel you should be able to complete your work within a reasonable amount of time and then go play. Whatever your definition of ‘playing’ is, you should have time to do it.

A few things that can be done to help increase your playtime are:

1. Start a business that was built on the auto-pilot aspect, such as: Internet Marketing, an Adwords based business, turn-key internet store front with dropshipping, Independent travel Agent just to name a few.

2. Set up an email auto-responder. If an auto-responder will work for your business, then use it. Set your auto-responder up to reply to emails and include a link to your “Frequently Asked Questions” page on your website.

3. Set your website up for ecommerce. If your business can be conducted online then this can be a very big time saver. If not, maybe you can create a form on the site that asks for all of the information that you will need from them in order to give them a quote or even do business. They fill it out and click ‘Submit’ and you respond when you can. Let them know that you will respond to them within 24 hours. Handle all of your responses at once so that you don’t have to continuously stop doing what you are doing to respond to emails. But make sure that you respond within that time frame, they might find someone else to do business with if you don’t. A few years ago, a website seemed cheesy for some types of business, now it’s a must have for all!

4. Purchase a laptop or PDA with internet service. I did an article on a mobile phone that does most of what a laptop does. Read about the HTC Mogul from Sprint. This way, you can take care of some of the minor work while away having fun. You may not like taking your work away with you, but what’s worse? You taking an hour or so out of your time on a Caribbean beach, or doing the work in your office and never seeing the beach? This is only if you have a business that requires constant attention. Try to make it where you can just go cold turkey for a week or two.

5. Hire an answering service to accept your phone calls and take whatever information that is needed. There are many answering services that offer different levels of service. You can have them just take messages as well as have them take orders and give customer support for your most common problems. It all depends on what you need and how much you’re willing to pay for that ‘Freedom.’

6. Hire a reliable employee. This most likely is the most expensive method, but some businesses require it. Most service based businesses cannot use the methods above and must someone available every business day. Scheduling appointments for your customers until you get back can help when everyone is away. Unfortunately, you don’t continue to make money while you’re away.

Once again, you know your business and what it requires to function normally. List all of the tasks and functions of your business, then analyze each one to determine if they can be automated or contracted out. The more you Automate your work, the more you’ll Appreciate life.

July 14th, 2007