Don’t get me wrong. Running your own business is cool. It really is. I work when I want. I call the shots. I can work form anywhere in the world and have done so (from South America to my local pub!). I get to do all the fun projects and choose what I do.

But.

Before you get all misty eyed and decide to tell your boss to go fu…well you know what I mean

I  think you should know about the other stuff that happens every day, not just to me, but to all entrepreneurs.

• You call the shots, but you’ve also got to take the hits. Client not happy about something you created? It’s up to you to fix it and you alone. Computer broken down, Internet connection going AWOL, printer playing up…unexpectedly running out of secret stash of fruit gums. You gotta sort it out yourself.
• You have to know how to assert yourself. At the very least. Deadlines are no longer an arbitrary date your boss imposed, they are now your livelihood. Your reputations. Your word.  So if people you relay on: your employees, contractors, colleagues miss the deadlines you cannot be nice and say “that’s ok” because it’s NOT. And you cannot be afraid of saying so even if it means they may hate you. Really.
• You’ll want to lie in bed. Curtains closed. And cry. This will happen. Because it can all be overwhelming. You will be pulled in every direction seemingly 24/7. And you are while you may be working on your own, you’ll feel as though you never have any alone time.
• Everything rests on your shoulders. Everything. With this come stress, pressure, anxiety and pretty much every other emotion you can think of. And some you haven’t.   Because EVERYTHING rests on your shoulders.
• Life is going to happen. Which means (rough translation) Unexpected shit is going to happen.  There’s going to be a lot of things that happen that are totally out of your control.  And you will hate them. You need to know how to relax, take it on the chin and not crumble into a ball wailing “why me”.
• You will suffer from bouts of hating yourself. You will hate yourself that you can’t do it fast enough. Good enough. Why it doesn’t always come to as naturally as it seem to for others. You will compare yourself against anything and everything. You will hate yourself that you can’t pull yourself away from work even when you want to. You’’ hate the fact that you absolutely LOVE IT!
• Your friends will assume you never do anything.  They will think that you working from home means you are not working at all. Or you can have huge phone conversations because you’re working from home right? Or you can sign post they have sent to your address because you’re at home right? I mean what are you doing all day at home?
• You have to learn how to market yourself. And be damn good at it. You’re the best there is. You are the best there ever has been or ever will be. But if no one knows about you then they aren’t going to buy your stuff or use your services. And if no one buys your stuff or uses you service then you are not in business.  Marketing is a skill you need to have. Or learn pretty fast.
• You can’t sit around watching Sky movies all day. It’s called self-discipline. You need it.
•  You’ll be a slave to email.  You will want to close your inbox. It’s just one email you’re waiting for from a client then you can close it.  You’ll just answer those other emails in the meantime. And then it arrives. Great. Along with the other 20 emails you get responding to your emails written while waiting. Put on loop for the rest of your life.
• You will have to know how to make a f****** decision.  There will need to be a hundred decisions made very week and they all have to be made by you. Being able to decide quickly and cleanly without doubt is a skill you will have to possess.  They need to be made to keep the business moving forward. Even a bad decision is better than no decision at all.
• “Done for the day” does not exist. Ever. There’s always something that can be tweaked. Improved. Worked on. But if you’re really lucky and can hit pause for a while!
• Everyone will always want something.  Now that you own your own business everyone will want something. They’ll want to sell you something. Get advice for free: “Could you look at my website and suggest improvement and adjustments I can make… and point out any typos and spelling errors?” You will have to learn to politely decline these requests. Every time.  Say yes to one and it will be downhill from there.
• Every single day you’ll wonder if you’re doing it right. “Did you make the right decision? “Every day. “Did you get enough done today?”  Every day.  “How can I improve the business?” Every day. You get the picture. You will have a millions questions running through you head. Every day.

But in the end it’s YOUR business. Kudos! GO FOR IT.  The Sky’s the limit! But don’t say I didn’t warn you!