Being self-employed has changed vastly over the last few years, and the world of work and industry is catching up with what people want form their workplace fast. Self-employment has changed from being a last resort to the first choice for a lot of people, but there are still some misconceptions that self-employed people would like to dispel. So, before you ask the questions, we’re going to answer them for you!

1 – Yes, but it’s not like having a real job

A lot of people still think that a “real” job is one in an office, with a boss and a fixed paycheck. These people don’t believe that being self-employed is the same as having a “real” job. However, people who are successfully self-employed are earning the same kind of money – often more – and putting in the same hours. The difference is, they’re skipping the horrible commute and doing their job in the comfort of their own home.

2 – Oh, but don’t you miss being around other people?

One of the things about being self-employed that concerns people is that their social lives will suffer from not being around other people. But if you really think about it, that makes no sense. If you have friends and family, you make time to see them outside of work hours and you’re not going to suddenly stop doing that by working for yourself. Besides, did you know that being around co-workers can be super-distracting and make you less productive and efficient? Imagine if you had no co-workers distracting you: how much faster would you do your work? You could not only get more done, but you could finish sooner and the upside of finishing your work when you’re self-employed is, you don’t have to hang around the office being bored! You have time to do whatever you want. Plus, you don’t have to deal with office politics…

3 – So you’re a Stay-at-Home Mom/Dad?

Many people opt to be a Work-From-Home parent when they have children. That, however, isn’t quite the same thing as a Stay-at-Home parent. SAH parents focus solely on child-rearing, and often home-school their kids. Their daily routine involves a great deal of responsibility for cleaning, feeding kids, educating, playtime and so on. WFH parents, on the other hand, usually send their kids to day care or preschool, and while they take care of some of the household tasks, and are available to take children to their after-school activities, the doctor and so on, they still do a full day’s worth of business-based work.

4 – It must be great to be able to take time off whenever you want!

Planning vacation time in a corporate environment can be tricky and involve negotiation, but that doesn’t mean people who are self-employed can take leave whenever they want. They still need to work out when will be the best time to go on vacation, and they still need to plan their budgets. For example, if you work for yourself and your busiest time is in July and August, you’d be foolish to go away for three weeks during this time. Yes, you do have a lot more freedom and don’t have to take your co-workers into consideration, but it still takes planning!

5 – I’d love to be able to get up whenever I want…

This is my personal “favourite”. I often get calls from family members at 9 or 10 in the morning and they always ask “are you still sleeping?” My answer is always the same: “No, I’ve been working for several hours now.” A lot of people equate being self-employed with being lazy, when the opposite is true. Most of the self-employed people I know are perfectly happy to get out of bed at a reasonable hour, put in their work and try and maintain a workable routine. The big difference is, it’s a routine that works for you. You decide whether you work best in the mornings or at night, how many hours a day you’re willing to put in and how much free time you want. If you’re happy to pull 16-hour days and earn six figures, that’s your choice. If you decide that four hours a day works for you, and you’re happy earning in line with that, then that’s your choice, too.

The beauty of being self-employed is that you have control over your working conditions. No two self-employed people do things exactly the same way, and that’s ok. Working for yourself means exactly that. You decide what you want and need out of your work and personal life, and you get to make that work.

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