Deciding to work solo can be a challenging decision. It may seem appealing to imagine not working for anyone except yourself, but it is also a risky road.
I discovered the ups and downs of this path when I decided to pursue a career of a fiction novelist. I knew that my choice to focus on writing novels was questionable. Many think that it is not a serious career; it can just be a hobby, they said. Being an introvert, it always felt like an alluring path as I would have minimum interactions and would just focus on doing what I love while hoping to earn from it. It is not easy though. I may have gotten far enough to have my own novel published but I’m still along way from making a living out of it. I am currently in the process of learning first hand what it’s like to be your own boss. Whether you are an artist, a writer, a businessman or some kind of entrepreneur, one thing is for sure, you are not working for anyone anymore. You are your own boss! And here are four things very important things that you need to know about this choice.
From deciding your work schedule to setting priorities, you are in charge of all the rules and decisions. It is hard to say whether being in charge of everything you want to do is a beneficial factor or not. Honestly it can work either way, it all depends on you. Take setting up your schedule for example, you might go too easy on yourself and not give as much time to your intended work as you would have if there was someone constantly keeping check on your progress. If you are your own boss, you have to act like one too; be hard on yourself, push yourself to do your best, meet deadlines and make sure you don’t get lazy. Originally I had the same problem. If I was on my own then I would get too relaxed. I knew I could have written plenty of books during my year off from school. The fastest I had written a novel was within the three months of a summer break but later I let myself slow down too much. I didn’t follow a regular schedule. If I had then I probably would have completed my novels faster. On the up side though, if you do it right you can plan things the way they work best for you. Nowadays I write everyday during all the spare time I have. The only time I take breaks is when I feel symptoms of stress or exhaustion from working for too long. This is the best part of having your own schedule; I take breaks exactly when I need them, I lie down, relax, munch on some snacks, and get back to work as soon as I am feeling better. If you make strict rules for yourself and follow them with discipline then nothing should stop you from achieving your goals. The only thing that stands in your way is you.
In the beginning and maybe even later, it will be a very lonely road. Again this can have both advantages and disadvantages. For me it always feels best when I am left to do my work on my own without interruption or disturbance. Yet at the same time, since humans are naturally social creatures, it is hard to survive on your own. Eventually you will realize that you will need someone to help, guide and support you. Not to long after that, you will be hit with another realization; there won’t be many people committed to helping you out. Maybe you would have to hire help when you need it but you can only do so if you can afford it. To add on to that, there's also the struggle of doing things where you are inexperienced or unskilled. My personal example to explain this struggle would be self-publishing. After struggling to get a literary agent for years, I decided to take matters into my own hands and publish my own book. It was hard! After all, I was only a writer, but to self-publish I had to illustrate the book myself, put it on platforms myself and market it myself. There was so many situations where things got too technical for me and I found myself constantly making mistakes because it was just nothing I had done before. I may have made a print version of my book Bonds of Friendship on my own but I still struggle at selling it. In the end I found myself going back in search of literary agents to help me publish my latest book.
It’s like a flip of a coin; heads or tails, win or lose. When you work for someone, you have a contract; you know what you have to do and how much you will earn for it. If you are trying something on your own though, it’s an unpredictable roller-coaster ride. In an independent business or career, there will always be a risk of loss. Yet on the flip-side, if things go too well, you could be a millionaire! I really can't say what can guarantee your success, far too many variables.
“This is not a get rich quick scheme,” says Joanna Penn, a writing entrepreneur, “I started writing in 2006, left my job in 2011 and it was 2015 before I was making six figures. I now have 25+ books, a blog, a podcast and a number of other income streams. The author business model is a marathon, not a sprint.”
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Iman Malik and I am an aspiring novelist who is dreaming to be a bestseller one day who can be well known as writer Iman Malik. Archives
September 2021
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