How to live without working for your uncle. Which is better, work for yourself or for "uncle"
From the moment you enter the free labor market, you must, first of all, learn how to present your product - that is, yourself. Make a detailed resume, collect a portfolio (if any), start pages on the maximum number of freelance sites and communities. Ideally, you can even start your own website, but keep in mind that this will require a small initial capital and some knowledge of how search engines work. If you don’t have either, it’s better to focus on simpler, but no less important little things: for example, set up a signature in e-mail or print at least a hundred visits (it's not that expensive).
2. Give yourself a schedule
Working from home may not be the same a simple matter, as it seems. TV, telephone, dog and children - all this will certainly distract and seduce you with their closeness and availability. In order not to suffer and not fight temptations all day, set yourself clear working hours with a lunch break and warn relatives and friends about this. At this time, you completely "fall out" from home life.
But it’s not worth locking yourself in four walls forever. In order not to become a hostage of your own " homework”, try to set up business meetings somewhere in a cafe or client (customer) office, and not communicate only by e-mail. Otherwise, unlearn how to talk to people normally, and when you suddenly want to join society again, it will be very difficult to relearn.
3. Never stop working
For a freelancer, all life is a search for a potential order. Not only do you have to go to professional events, browse online "message boards" and surf the Internet for related sites and communities. Ask for "hangouts" and meetings of potential colleagues, be interested in the work affairs of your acquaintances - who knows who and when your professional services may be needed.
Another way to indicate your presence in the market is to publish an article in a small specialized publication with a small circulation, zero fees, but a very important audience for you. In addition, many freelancers take on charitable projects, join programs to help the poor, etc., as this also creates a certain professional reputation.
4. Know your worth
Ignorance of the value of your work is one of the main mistakes of novice freelancers. Yes, a significant "discount" may attract a customer, but, on the other hand, because of the "cheapness" you may be mistaken for a non-professional. Therefore, to begin with, you will have to study the competitive environment - climb the same professional sites, ask around friends, read blogs of specialists. Fortunately, the Internet allows you to see the situation both from the position of your competitors and from the position of potential customers; the main thing is not to advertise the goals of your research.
5. Make a detailed plan
When it comes to money, any freelancer must be meticulous. Many employers perceive hired labor as “unofficial”, and therefore they hope that, if anything, the price can be brought down, the fee paid later, and the agreed terms can be completely forgotten - and so on and so forth. Remember: only you yourself will monitor the observance of your rights. Make a detailed step-by-step estimate of your work, indicating the timing, nature of the matter and cost. This will demonstrate to the customer your seriousness and responsibility, and it will help you compare the work on one project with other orders, calculate the time and take into account your costs.
6. Secure your salary
The easier it is for the customer to pay for your work, the better. Therefore, open a bank account, and even better - an electronic wallet.
And again: set clear deadlines and procedures for paying fees. If the amount is large, and the work is long, do not hesitate to demand a deposit - this is normal practice. Of course, this will not protect you 100% from dishonest employers, but it will at least partially confirm the seriousness of the counterparty's intentions.
7. Think Taxes
According to the position of the Tax Service of the Russian Federation, any freelancer (although such a concept is not fixed in the legislation) is individual entrepreneur, which means he must register with the Federal Tax Service without education legal entity. To do this, you must contact the registration authority at your place of residence and submit:
Signed statement of state registration according to the approved form;
Original and notarized copy of the passport (for citizens of the Russian Federation) or other official identity document (for foreigners and stateless persons);
Original and notarized copy of the document confirming the address of the place of residence;
Document confirming the payment of the state fee.
Yes, taxes are unpleasant and difficult, BUT: firstly, it is actually more profitable for any company to work with a private entrepreneur than a "statusless" freelancer or firm. And secondly, doing business (namely, Tim is a freelancer from the point of view of the law) without registration is punishable according to the tax and criminal codes - a fine or even imprisonment for up to 6 months.
8. Consider your costs
When setting the price of your services, do not forget about what expenses you will have to endure. Of course, we are not talking about paying for home dinners or hot water, but here electricity (computer operation), communications (Internet), printing and travel to meetings should automatically fall into the final figure in your contract. Well, such things as consumables (if any) and, of course, the involvement of third-party specialists, it is better to write them down as a separate line in the estimate and discuss them with the customer in advance. So that later he would not have questions “Who is Pasha the programmer and why should I pay him some money?”.
9. Don't work with friends
Friendship is friendship, but it is better not to mix it with work. Do not engage with comrades and do not involve them as employees. As sad practice shows, this can be the end of your relationship or turn into serious material problems.
If one of your friends or relatives stubbornly stuffs himself into your clients / employees - and it seems somehow inconvenient to refuse, - it’s better to advise him to another pro, referring to the lack of time and the fact that he, the other, is much better versed in question. Save yourself a bunch of nerve cells and protect yourself from unnecessary conflicts.
10. Don't forget to go to the doctor
The lack of an HR department really means that you can "not worry" about sick leaves. Nevertheless, you need to go to the doctor - although many freelancers do not seek medical help and end up getting sick for several months. Yes, you can sit at home and work with a temperature below 39, sniffing and swallowing analgin, but your performance and productivity, to put it mildly, will leave much to be desired. As a result, you will probably delay the deadlines, and even worse - screw up with the order, and then you will vaguely justify yourself to the customer.
If you are sick, it is better to honestly admit it to yourself, and then to the client. Warn him in advance about the forced delay, be treated under medical supervision, and then return to work and hand over the order.
Step. It's scary because the unknown looms ahead. How do you know when it's time to give up security and jump into your business? Here are ten questions from Entrepreneur.com to answer before you quit.
1. Perhaps you are just unhappy with your current job? Often the desire to become an entrepreneur is due to the fact that a person does not like his current role. Development detailed business plan help avoid impulsive decisions. The desire to leave must be accompanied by a viable business idea, marketing and operational plans. Save your work and income for as long as you can while you work on the plan.
2. What will be your new daily routine? Instant freedom is dangerous. When you have a lot of free time, it's tempting to say, "I'll do it later." Create a daily schedule for yourself, as if you were going to work from nine in the morning until five in the evening. For example, start your morning at the gym and then work the same hours as before for your employer.
3. Where will you get money to save your business? Lack of capital is the main obstacle in the path of an entrepreneur. Be realistic and include in your business plan whether you can quit your job. New business it rarely starts to turn a profit before three to five years, so consider what you will live on all this time. Your energy should be spent on growing your business, not thinking about how to pay your bills.
4. Have you accounted for contingencies? You'd be surprised how many expenses you left out of your business plan. You will need thousands of dollars to find the right path. Freelancing or part-time work will make your life easier.
5. Are you ready to take on multiple roles? One day you are a technician, another day you are a salesman, and the next day you are a janitor. You cannot suffer from an inflated ego. Before you quit your job, decide for yourself whether you will be happy doing everything from marketing to maintenance.
6. What are your strengths and weaknesses? If you have already agreed to take on several roles, be honest with yourself about what you are really good at and what needs to be improved. Perhaps you should improve your programming skills, gain some knowledge of finance, or find a partner with the right skills. If you don't see a way to compensate for your weaknesses, perhaps you should stay in your current role for now.
7. Who will be your customers and competitors? It is almost impossible to thoroughly calculate the market potential for your business concept, but you should at least roughly understand who your future customers will be and what kind of competition you will face. If you are not sure, continue to think about the plan in parallel with the main work. This is better than immediately plunging into a deliberately unprofitable enterprise.
9. Do you have a backup plan? Developing a plan "B" before leaving for your business will help to avoid an unexpected blow from the sly. Is there anything you can do part-time if you need money? What if you have to look for a full-time job and postpone your business until better times? To leave room for wiggle room, keep in touch with recruiters, previous employers, and other business contacts.
10. How do you keep your “bridges behind you” safe and sound? If you decide to quit, remember that an employer can be very helpful to your new venture. Do not leave suddenly, slamming the door loudly. Find a way to stay in good standing. Share your entrepreneurial plans openly. Often, employers understand the desire of employees to do their job, and sometimes even offer help. For example, the employer may assign you a free schedule or continue to work with you as a consultant.
What question do you think is the most correct and most important? What else do you recommend thinking about before quitting for your business? Write in the comments and share with your friends!
1. Income for dumb people.
Why is getting a job so stupid? Because you only get paid when you work. See the problem? Or are you already fooled so much that you consider it reasonable and justified to receive income only when your working time? Did it ever occur to you that it would be much better to receive money even when you are not working?
Don't your houseplants keep growing even when you're not looking after them? And why shouldn't your bank account grow in the same way?
Most of us won't even notice if you worked 6 hours a week or all 60. But if you can offer us something of value, then most of us will be happy to pull out our wallets and pay for it.
The key is to separate the value you produce from your time.
Smart people build systems that generate income, especially passive income, around the clock. It could be starting a business, opening a website, investing, or earning royalties from creative work. The system works without interruption, whether you devote time to it or not.
2. Limited experience.
You may think that "it's important to get a job in order to gain experience." The problem with gaining experience from work is that you tend to just repeat the same limited experience over and over again. In the beginning, you learn a lot of new things, and then stagnation sets in. Ask yourself what experience you are gaining now will not lose its value in 20-30 years? Will your work even exist then?
3. Lifetime taming.
Getting a job is like signing up for a program to tame a person. You are learning to be a good pet.
How is your obedience training coming along? Does your owner reward you for good behavior? Does he punish you if you fail to follow his command?
4. Too many mouths to feed.
The tax system is designed to hide the real amount of money you lose: some of these taxes are paid by your employer, and some are deducted from your salary. However, you can be sure that from the employer's point of view, all these taxes are part of your salary.
Your real salary may be three times higher, but most of this money you will never see. It goes straight into other people's pockets.
What a generous person you are!
5. Too risky.
Many workers believe that getting a job is the safest and most secure way to support themselves.
Can you feel safe in a position where with just two words ("You're fired"), someone can completely deprive you of your income?
6. Evil owner-bull.
When you meet an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and go the other way. When you meet an idiot in the corporate world, you will have to turn around and say, "I'm sorry, boss."
7. Begging for money.
When you want to increase your income, do you have to stand up and ask your landlord for more money? Do you feel good about having a little supplement of your favorite Pedigree Pal?
If you have a business and one of your clients tells you "no", then you just say "next".
8. One-sided social life.
A large number of people put work at the heart of their social life. They communicate with the same people working in the same field. It is considered a great day if the company's transition to a new product color and the unexpected delivery of an additional batch of ballpoint pens were discussed as part of a deep confidential communication.
Why not let your host choose your social circle instead of doing it yourself?
9. Loss of freedom.
It takes a lot of effort to tame a person and make him a worker. The first thing to do is to break his independent free will. Not a bad way - to give him a weighty manual, stuffed with meaningless rules and regulations. This will make the new employee more obedient, making him constantly in fear of being punished for no reason.
10. Turning into a coward.
Have you noticed that employees have an almost inexhaustible ability to constantly whine about the problems of their companies? In fact, they do not want to solve them - they just want to speak out and explain why someone else is to blame. It's like getting a job sucks all the free will out of people and turns them into spineless cowards. If you can't call your boss an asshole without fear of being fired, then you're no longer free. You have become the property of your master.
It doesn't matter how far you've gone in this dead end. It is never too late to regain courage. Never!
For the bulk of people, daily work in offices or factories sooner or later gets bored and thoughts appear to send their boss to hell and start working for themselves. And then various thoughts come to mind, for example, how to start a business. But for you, this is still a new type of activity, you are still taking the first indecisive steps and collecting all the necessary information. It is at this moment that you need support and good advice to help you follow your heart.
The bigger, the better! Is it so?
Of course, your business may have a huge range of products and services in its arsenal. You think that the more goods or services you sell, the better your business will go. You opened a couple of enterprises in parallel and you think that if one fails, then the second one will definitely shoot. In this case, you are simply on your own strength and you cannot focus properly. The result of such an experiment can be deplorable. Have you heard about the proverb, about two birds with one stone? It is better to set the right priorities and work for quality, not quantity. Make a really worthwhile product or service, not a bunch of useless or mediocre ones.
Think about your business
The surrounding world is a fairly friendly environment, since it has all the resources we need. Take a good look around and you will be able to find clues, resources, and then implement your idea. You can opt for innovative technologies or use your own idea. Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff first. If something is directly related to your business - take it into service. If not, then pass by and do not linger. Adjust your perception so that you can look for new opportunities and get the most out of them.
The main condition is not to stick for a long time on one bright idea, otherwise you can lose all vital interests, opportunities and other bright thoughts to your own detriment. Let's say you found interesting idea, but before you dive into it with your head, analyze it properly. Take a sheet of paper and line it into two columns, where you indicate all its advantages and disadvantages. And when you're done, based on the results, make the appropriate decisions.
Do what you don't like
Sometimes we have to face challenges that we may not like. At this point, our brains are tempted to postpone everything “for later” or completely ignore this task. But if you decide to deal with this problem, then your brain will start looking for ways to solve it. Otherwise, you may have problems due to the task left for later.
According to Brian Tracy, the best way to develop a high level of efficiency is to eat the biggest frog and solve the hardest problem first. Solving a problem can become much more interesting if you approach it in an original way. Only in this way you can gain new skills and invaluable experience.
Be here and now
There are times when a new business can take a very long time to develop. In this case, stay in the present and don't think too far ahead. Planning is invaluable in this case, as constantly expecting the worst can drain your resources. Try to focus on the task at hand. Look back and analyze how much effort you have already invested, think, maybe you should take a break. If you constantly look too far ahead, then you may begin to be overcome by self-doubt: “Maybe I won’t get that far.” If you are starting a business, then move slowly but surely and solve pressing problems.
More action and less words
If you want to do something, then just do it. No need to think and decide, just do it. There is a wonderful proverb: "We have enough smart people, only few decisive ones." Better start doing something right now, and you will gain speed in the process. If you do not gain determination, then you can forever forget about your business.
Get over your fears
Our subconscious is used to hiding our fears in a closet. As a rule, these fears come from a distant childhood and were added during life. And it does not matter how they were locked by our subconscious, because these are just our thoughts. There are a lot of things that you would like to do, but something keeps stopping you. Work through your fears, fight them, drive them out of the closet.
The more often and confidently you go into battle with your fears, the stronger your personality and confidence will be in what you are currently doing. For a similar reason, when you hesitate to do something, you hire others to do the work for you. You have to dominate your life and tell your subconscious mind what to do and how to do it.
Do some modeling
Do not reinvent the wheel, use already known developments in your business. Before you, other people have already been engaged in this type of activity, and you can use their achievements without remorse. Find someone you can look up to as their success is the best motivator. In this case, you can find interesting things that would be worth learning.
If this has not occurred to you before, then I will open your eyes to the state of affairs in the field of wage labor (when you have to work for an uncle). Everything will be rough, sharp, but honest!
How was the situation with workers in the days of serfdom and slavery? The owner did not take into account the opinion of the "slaves" and used them as he pleased. But if you do not take into account the most difficult cases, then the owners of the slaves were still interested in making them work as much and better as possible and not die of exhaustion. And this means that the owners had to create minimal conditions for their life, feed and water.
We are not living in a slave-owning system now. No one can force us to work and, moreover, no one limits us in material wealth.
But this is only at first glance.
Try to stop working tomorrow. If you don’t have a stash set aside for a rainy day, then in a month your stomach will make you run to the next “owner” to get a job so unobtrusively with its rumbling. Immediately there will be motivation and a strong desire to work.
Do you think that, unlike the slaves of antiquity, you receive much more money for your work? After all, you have enough not only for food and housing, but even for a vacation in the summer and a new car.
Do not entertain yourself with illusions! You get exactly as much as the employer is willing to pay you! And not a ruble more!
You can work for your uncle and see in the contract, in addition to the salary, various "percentage of sales", "team bonuses" and other incentives, but this only confirms that you are being used to make a profit by the owner of the company.
You can be a very experienced and indispensable slave with great experience. The owner himself will shake hands with you every morning, but this will not stop you from being a slave! A slave to money. A slave to your desires. A slave to the owner you work for. Very valuable, but a slave.
Maybe I'll tell you the terrible truth, but the owner pays the workers just enough to live on until the next paycheck. Eat, sleep, have fun in moderation. Even if the owner suddenly turns out to have super profit, he will not distribute it to the workers. Don't be hopeful! You were bought to fulfill certain official duties for which you are promised a certain payment. All! Not more!
The owner of the enterprise is not interested in you as an employee receiving more than you need for your needs. After all, all the extra money that you cannot save for one reason or another, you will save. And sooner or later, accumulate so much that you lose interest in the salary that your employer will pay you. And who needs a worker to lose motivation for further work? Nobody!
As soon as the donkey reaches the carrot that hangs in front of him, he stops walking forward and pulling the cart behind him.
Therefore, while working at work, all you can count on is keeping your pants up. At the same time, you can even have pants that are exclusive from a fashion designer. The meaning of this does not change.
Between a janitor in a godforsaken city and a top manager big company an abyss into a huge number of zeros, but that the first, that the second is a little lacking in the fulfillment of all his desires. The first may not have enough for new winter clothes, the second for a new car of the latest model, but they experience the same negative feelings from this.
A reasonable question arises - What to do?
What do you think, what should be done to be able not to depend on the employer? Of course, become an employer yourself! Then such “slaves” will already work for you. Of course, you can still find someone who will support you. But if you are not a gorgeous blonde with a fifth bust size, then you are unlikely to succeed.
Basically, you don't have many options:
- you can start your business from scratch. Startup.
- You can buy an already operating business (as a whole or a share in it).
And that's it! There is no third.
It all comes down to these two options. Whatever you do, you are either giving money to a business or participating in that business. Any other attempts to get rich are either illegal, or they are just illusions and self-deception!
For some reason, I have not heard of a single person who fulfilled all his dreams and began to live in clover simply by winning on the sweepstakes or breaking the jackpot in the casino. But, I think, you yourself know quite a few people who have become elite by creating their own business.
So if you want to stop working for your uncle, then you have only one way out - the very article of the uncle for whom they will work.
Unfortunately or fortunately, not everyone is given to work for themselves and develop their business. In the first 3 years, almost 95% of those who start their own business go bankrupt. And only 5% make money. That is why there will always be those who are ready to work for their uncle.
But you don't have to create your own own business! You can enter into a share of an existing business with a good history and results.
What does it matter here what it will be: an investment in the share of an LLC, a partnership or a purchase of shares. The essence is the same. You become the owner with a share in the capital, and, consequently, a share in the profits.
In this case, you will be protected from the risks of a startup, and if your partners are also experienced entrepreneurs, then from many other mistakes.
You will only have to observe the work of your company, gain experience and, if the company is profitable, then receive a share of this profit in proportion to your share in the business.