Becoming self-employed, what to consider
Tuesday, August 23, 2022

To start your own business, you have to be good at everything in the beginning to manage the business. Perhaps, this is the reason why most people still have fears of what will happen if they venture into their own enterprises.

It’s a lot more work than people think; however, experts say being self-employed comes with a lot more freedom and you don’t have to deal with much stress from your employers.

For this reason and among others, experts feel that it’s just better to find different ways of being self-employed, as it’s also among different ways of fulfilling your dream and goals.

For business analyst, John Mugo, if one has always yearned for more independence in their work, or simply believed that they could do it better themselves, then striving to become self-employed is the way to go.

Self-employment is a career opportunity where a professional works independently rather than for a company, and that becoming self-employed has many potential benefits.

How to go about it

From his perspective, Mugo says the first step to becoming self-employed is exploring your career options, noting that becoming self-employed is a great time to think about your passions, something that will lead to having more flexibility in your responsibilities.

He mentions that this would mean that it could be a great opportunity to design your ideal career.

"Starting and operating your own business can take time and effort, and choosing a field you’re interested in may help increase your chances of success,” he says.

Marie Louise Uwizeyimana, a lawyer says striving to choose your specialty is also part of finding a way of being self-employed.

She believes that after selecting a career field; considering taking time to focus on a specialty, in terms of what you are going to offer is very crucial.

Uwizeyimana, who is also a journalist, says considering who your potential customers may be and what problems you can help them solve is important as well, as this could help you create a detailed business plan that can help you succeed as a self-employed professional.

To her, this should come hand in hand with setting your own goals.

With a digital world, she believes that using your market research, one can make short-term and long-term goals for yourself.

"You can use these goals to evaluate your success and make changes as necessary. And one shouldn’t forget that it’s also vital to be specific when it comes to setting those goals,” she says.

Uwizeyimana says this in the end can help you measure your growth and track your progress in all aspects.

Moving forward, Mugo says that before immersing yourself into an employment career, there is also a need to seek advice and guidance from mentors or those who have been there before.

"Becoming self-employed is not something one would wake up in the morning and start, you have to invest in different things including seeking support in terms of guidance for those who are in it already. When this is done, it is easier to strive irrespective of the challenges that come your way,” he says.