Ways to Make Going Self-Employed Easier

In the early stages of a business you will be spending more than you are earning (you have to market yourself to get those customers and that costs money). If you have no savings put aside and no partner to support you and a child or children (like me) then going self-employed is still a very viable opportunity but its made a million times easier if you can have a transition period.

Whatever job you are currently doing get brave and ask your employer if they would consider you going part time. List your reasons and the benefits to them before you ask for a meeting and be really clear about the fact that you have considered their needs as well as your own. You might also need to remind them why you are worth keeping!

Using these questions may help you to define why you are someone they want to hold on to!

1) What do you do really well at work?

2) What skills and qualities to you bring to your position that help the company? (Maybe you are the trouble shooter, the voice of reason, the person that calms everyone down, the person who is not afraid to give ideas that are out of the box, the person who helps new colleagues settle in etc)

3) Why are you thinking of going part-time? (Be honest with yourself here but keep it positive when you talk to your employer!)

4) What would part-time work mean for your performance at work? (would you be more focused, more organised, able to give more on the days you are working, a calmer performance...etc)

5) Think about all the different options you could offer, maybe you could do the same hours but in less days. Could you offer 4 days a week with longer hours on those days but with a day off in lieu each week? Could you work from home two days a week so that you can still do the same work for your employer but set your own hours on those days and perhaps give yourself time to attend meetings with potential clients?

Once you can offer something really valuable to your employer in return for going part-time consider what you will do if they say no. Have a think about your next move, will you hand in your notice, stay on but resentfully? Make sure you have thought about all the angles of how this could affect you and the relationships in your workplace and act accordingly.

You could also start looking for another position that is part time - wait until you have landed a part time job before handing in your notice and then build up from there.

The decision of what is best for your situation is ultimately yours, just make sure you have thought it all through and have a plan for all the options that may arise.

Go for it, don't delay, get working on that plan now and start to put it into action. There is NO perfect time, its just doesn't exist. If you wait for the perfect time it will never come....

Let me know how you get on and any questions please ask!

Love Nova xxx