10 reasons why you should start your own business today

Becoming a small business owner is an exciting step that many of us have heavily considered and if you have the know-how, the enthusiasm, the product/service (and the start-up funds) then it is as good a time as any to start up your very own enterprise. Here are ten reasons why:

1. You’ll be your own boss

Running your own business means no more 9-5 hours, stuck at a desk, trying to appease a tyrannical boss. It’s all on you and you make the rules. You know what needs to be done to do the best job to take home the pennies and there’s no one to impress or ask for permission from.

2. You can do something you’re passionate about

Starting up your own business means you can work in the industry you feel most passionately about, which could mean creating a product you love or offering a service you know you will excel at.

3. You can work where you like

As a small business owner you can work on your laptop from the comfort of your bed if you want to. You can hot seat in an office location or set up a desk in the spare bedroom at home; you can set up a picnic blanket at the park and use your phone network dongle to get online and enjoy the sunshine while you work on something important. Starting a small business gives you the flexibility and freedom to work wherever you like.

4. You will grow as a person

Owning your own business creates an opportunity to really grow your own personal development. You will need to be more independent, become better at making decisions and ultimately work out how to balance your work and personal life. As a result, you will discover things about yourself that you might not have noticed before – i.e. you definitely work better on client pitches when you have someone else nearby to throw ideas about with.

5. You will feel even more rewarded by your work

Knowing that any profit or money coming into the business was curated and earned by you is a great feeling. For those who might have suffered with self confidence, knowing that all the great results are down to you will spur you to do more.

6. You can be creative

Even if you aren’t working in the most creative of industries, you can still have a play around with branding design, which could mean picking from a selection of free logos for business or getting stuck in on Photoshop and playing with colour charts.

7. You create your own job security

Many people here in the UK have started their own business due to redundancies and downsizing but when you run your own company, you enjoy a certain amount of job security. You are the only person you need to worry about when you first start and won’t find yourself without a job unless you decide to give up the company.

8. You will become an expert

Setting up your own business means honing your skills and specialities and creating something amazing using them. Eventually, as your business grows you will be considered a thought leader because you started from the bottom and worked your way up. Expect trade shows and business events to get in touch to feature you as a speaker.

9. You can change the way things are done

Certain industries are confined by definitive constraints and rules. As a new business you can turn things around and create new ways of doing things. If these experimental changes work then you will be considered a thought leader and looked to for inspiration.

10. You can bring together great minds

When starting out and seeing success you will eventually have to consider taking on employees to get the work done to a high standard. These people should share the same values as you and will in turn become friends and support as the company grows.