Reading this site indicates that you have a serious interest in being successfully self-employed. I wrote this information to share everything I know about succeeding in a small business. Proceeding may seem obvious but before you take that big step, I want you to stop and ask yourself one very important question.

“Do I really want to be self-employed?”  Or, stated another way, “Am I really suited to self-employment?” Considering that you ordered this book, this may sound like a dumb question. Actually, it’s a critically important question and before you answer it I want to share some information with you.

The one-person business differs from other forms of self-employment in that you are the whole team. You are the owner, boss, accountant, receptionist, salesperson, and cleanup person. You may have some relative or friend to help with some of the activities but you are responsible for all of them. It isn’t an easy job and you must be up to it. If not, perhaps you should reconsider.

Also consider that your income may come in spurts, with the time between checks dependent on how effectively you handle the billing process. If a problem arises with an order, the payment for that order may be delayed even more. When you get sick, everything stops including the income. Plus, you have to pay for your own health insurance or do without. When you go on vacation or just take a day off to go fishing, everything stops including the flow of money.

You are the sole contact for your customer, so expect calls at strange hours. There is no one else to listen to complaints. They all come through you. There are times that in spite of your best efforts things will go wrong and customers will turn to you. You will need a great deal of patience to deal with all the problems.

It is essential that you become very organized so as to avoid wasting time because time will definitely be at a premium. Even when you have work to do there will be calls that require your attention. You will have to leave for sales calls. Then you will have to come and pick up where you left off. In other words, it is a lot of work and you will be doing it all.

It may seem that I am trying to discourage you from starting a new venture but that isn’t the case. I think self-employment is enjoyable and challenging and can be very profitable. What I am really trying to do is paint an accurate picture for you before you jump in. Unlike some who will hype the romance of self-employment without showing you the warts, I am going to let you see it all before you decide.

There is a decision to be made and I certainly hope that you choose to start a small business. I will help you as much as I can. If after reading all this you are still certain that this is what you want, then proceed without hesitation because now you know the worst.