Why I quit being an employee: Is self-employment for you?

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In this video, I explain why I turned down a job in a group practice in order to be self-employed. I also share the pros and cons of self-employment versus employment, as well as the traits I think entrepreneurs/small business owners should have.

Intro music: Church of 8 Wheels by Otis McDonald
Outro music: Lensko Let’s Go

Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:26 Why self-employment was right for me
5:48 Pros & cons of self-employment vs. employment
9:32 Found app
11:43 Traits that would help with self-employment
11:40 Checklist, continued

[The-Illuminator-ml]

I’ve known a lot of people who were self-employed, and what many of them say is that it may be great in where you can choose your own schedule and work on what you love, but it also means handling everything from money to clients. You have that independence but also a lot of responsibilities. But it’s always a rewarding feeling in the end when you see your work being paid off.

[Gabby-qhco]

3 minutes in and you described word for word my current life since I got my new job, I love the work but I have so much trouble with authority figures and the fear of doing something wrong.

[cyberla]

Timely message! Yes, working a 9 to 5 today is modern day slavery with the great majority of managers being slave drivers who are never happy with your work. It's usually a nightmare!

[RadiantMantra]

I'm working towards finally breaking free from being employed and this is a big boost in motivation for that

[kzvegansuperstar]

I’m a self-employed artist with a complex chronic illness (and about to undergo a neuropsych evaluation for ASD) and the biggest thing I struggle with work-wise is creating structure for my workday that doesn’t burn me out alongside a very demanding schedule of medical appointments and infusions and treatments. Currently working on restructuring with my therapist after a looong period of burnout

[willow_valley]

i would also add, that while you can make more money self-employed, you could also earn less, depending on how well the bussiness is going. at a company you are guaranteed a set amount each month which is easier to plan ahead with.

[j.]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm not in the place professionally where I'm able to work for myself, but it's definitely something I'm working towards. The discussion about authority figures and morals rings especially true when I add my neurodivergence to the mix. I appreciate seeing a perspective on self employment that isn't buying into hustle culture and coming from a 'finance bro'

[LasanhaGratinada]

I always thought myself as more of an employee kind of guy, and it pretty much went that way watching your video. I tend to work with a more extrinsic motivation, I'm pretty undisciplined and need that sort of accountability. I also like being able to slack a bit when demand's low (I'm watching this video on work BTW).
There's one pro of being an employee you didn't mention, which is stability. I'm a public servant, so I'm on the far end of this spectrum, but an employee is subject to way less risk than a self-employed. I'm quite risk-averse, so this fancies me too, and asking me to leave public service would be a very, very hard sell.

My graduate course was kinda like self-employment as my advisor was very easy-going, and it was awful in terms of productivity and consistency.
I'm an introvert, but I start missing the workplace if I go too long working by myself. I have a 100% presential job and I think I would like a hybrid schedule, but I don't know if 100% remote would be for me.
On the flip side, having a flexible schedule would be great. Not so much for travelling, but to do errands in business hours, definitely.

[buriedtoodeep]

🎉 Congratulations,
Success suits you. Such a lovely young couple. Good to see good things happening for good people, it's refreshing.

[koreighlee]

Congrats on being able to accomplish your dream of moving back to Europe, that’s AMAZING! 🥳

[NB-lxgz]

Your channel has grown a lot wtf I've been here since 60.000 subs

[FlipsMedia]

Been here for a while now and really enjoy these introspective videos. Has really helped me get a better understanding of who I am 🙂

[doriont.]

I think the best way to find out if self employment is right for you is to try working in sales. It has the positives and negatives of both sides - you get out what you put in but you also have a safety net if you’re salary + commission.

[tfmbcpw]

I needed to hear all of this. Thank you ❤

[frogiwthoutahat]

I remember you talking about wanting to move abroad on your other channel! So exciting that you are planning on doing so :) let us know how that journey goes

[Corthespiritualrockstar]

Thank you Ana, I would like to work for myself, so I can travel and live somewhere cheaper, with more nature and locally grown produce.

[zandariko]

5 min in, before I forget, I have all the same personal reasons but intrinsic motivation. I did it anyway and here is how (as a private tutor): The 1st spark of motivation came from a will for freedom, I expanded energy to get out of the academic system and start the business structure ans find some clients while still on track for employment. Then I was sure I liked it, so I left my studies and found myself needing money bc not enough clients. This pushed me to action, but I had limited energy. So I used the energy to get clients, to advertise myself and prepare 1st courses. Once it was done, I was committed to people. Not as an employee but as a service provider. All I had to do is get used to the day to day so that I could latter become better at my job. And no clients ever complained. You need to learn jobs on the fly anyways, and as long as you can provide ANY value, you can get paid for it.

[JacindaChelsea]

I’m quite happy that I found a company that gives me abit of best of both worlds. We dont have a typical hierarchy, so we are pretty free to set our schedule, time-off etc. We also work fully remote and can work from anywhere but we do have work parties or offices to go to if we want to. For me, this is the best as I feel like I would be too stressed being self-employed and having all the responsibility and if something goes wrong I wont have money to pay for my living expenses. In Finland as well we get alot of good benefits from companies such as money for vacation! 😎

[Danishmastery]

Love that fire in the background. Reminds me of “4K fireplace” on Netflix .

[bedheadacademic]

I don't feel like I inherently have those traits, but I am actively working on improving. I find some remote jobs have a good amount of time and location freedom. I really want to be in control of what tasks I do though.