post by Stephanie Nelson
A little over seven years ago, I launched SBN Marketing. I made the leap with gusto, and with the support of lots of folks. But there are things I wish I knew before starting my business.
It gets lonely.
I’m not going to lie. Working by yourself and for yourself has a lot of benefits. But when you’re at your desk, day after day, with only the tv as your “coworker noise”, it can be very isolating.
There are no vacation days or sick days.
Particularly when you work in social media, you’re expected to be “on” all day every day. You can’t control when someone comments on a client’s post or puts up a review that needs a response. Leaving your phone at home…or even turning it off? Think again. Going out of town? Plan on having your laptop backpack as one of your carry-ons. Got the plague? Do what you gotta do to muster the strength to monitor things at least once an hour.
Boundaries are your best friend.
When you work for someone else, you pretty much need to do what you’re told in order to keep a job. When you go out on your own, there’s a fear of failure (especially for Type As like me). You say yes to pretty much everything. But setting boundaries is necessary. You can’t let your clients walk all over you. Let it be known what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
Being your own boss is a blessing and a curse.
Yes, you set your own hours, have ultimate control of which clients you take on, etc. That is DEFINITELY a blessing! But what do those close to you hear? You set your own hours, so if you wanted to hang out with them, you could do that work later. And then we go back to setting boundaries. Ha ha ha
So what do you wish you’d known before starting your business???
