Is it time to take a hard look at career assumptions? If a fortnightly pay cheque and the promise of job security are very real measures of safety, then why do so many of us choose the path of entrepreneurship?
We’re a society increasingly observant of the pros and cons of the sensible job route versus the business ownership route. Why? Within the last 10 years alone we’ve seen a global financial crisis, manufacturing plants closed down and outsourced to cheaper markets, and the internet completely changing the way we do business. There has never been a better time in history for the entrepreneur, and the requirement of adaptability as an entrepreneur more necessary.
For me it simply began with having a work for yourself attitude ingrained in me by my father from a very young age. I soon figured out I was far too rebellious and tenacious to exist otherwise. I have spent most of my life either in contract roles, short-term temp roles as I travelled, freelance Journalism, 15 years teaching Pilates, and so on.
There is nothing more pleasing than knowing that there really is no safe route; every route comes with her challenges and successes. The freedom I feel from having built my own business up, initially from being an in-house contractor for one client to supplier of services for many clients, is empowering. Some may say it’s mad as I raise my daughter in a single-income home without a consistent pay cheque… I say it’s liberating and empowering. I’m teaching her the most important skills in the dynamic global marketplace that is today’s workforce.
Key requirements for an entrepreneur:
*Being comfortable with the unknown, even excited by it.
*Being ok with the heavy rain and the occasional drought. You simply cannot guarantee either, and a “rolling with the punches” flexible attitude is key to survival.
*Being willing and able to understand the dynamically changing business landscape of today, and thriving.
