Did You Know?
I continue to be amazed how many of my Corporate Colleagues do not understand the true depth and breadth of being a solo entrepreneur or a small business owner. And, many make a living working with such businesses!
So, here is a Did You Know format that hopefully brings home the joys and the struggles that millions go through each year.
Did You Know that we have to do our own bookkeeping and accounting?
Did You Know we have to find, qualify, and purchase our own health insurance?
Did You Know that a day dealing with cable outages at the office, accounting, and paying bills IS a day at work that we do not get paid for?
Did You Know that identifying who needs to send us 1099s and who we need to issue 1099s to is our responsibility, in tandem with our accountant, and it needs to be done by January 31st?
Did You Know that respecting our time, just like a corporate colleague, is not only appreciated but expected by us?
Did You Know that we all cannot accept credit cards, due to the hefty fees that are associated with this process?
Did You know that administration, not prospecting nor sales pitches, at times, makes up the majority of our work week?
Did You Know if we are working on your project, we are not working on another’s?
Did You Know that if we are only working on your project, we rely on you in an even greater manner to pay ON TIME?
Did You Know that in 2019, according to a Google Search, 30% or 31,000,000 Americans are self-employed or working for the self-employed?
Did You Know we need referrals just as much as corporate employees seeking business?
Did You Know we have to bills monthly, just like our corporate employed colleagues who receive a routine paycheck and who do not have to hunt down clients to pay within that timeframe?
Did You Know many certifications, like WBENC, require us to resubmit the entire application every single year and charge us for it? Yes, we have to prove that we are still women and that we still own the majority of our small company, every 365 days.
Did You Know we struggle through the challenges so we can be as creative & flexible as possible without the constraints of a corporate parent? Can you consider us an artist within the business world?
Not everyone has the desire, interest, or creativity to be their own boss. It can be arduous, difficult, and demoralizing at times. But, it can also be fun, exciting, and rewarding to experience business freedom. Not every country allows this and certainly not every country allows women to be self-employed.
Help us continue our contributions - make a referral to every small business owner or solo entrepreneur you know this year. Make it a goal of yours. We would all really appreciate it!
Be well.
