Heading Out on Your Own?

"If you see me talking to myself, just move along.
I'm self-employed, we're having a staff meeting."
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by Skip Cohen

​We recently got a catalog that had some of the funniest one-liners I've ever seen on shirts. The more I read, the more relevant they became. It got me thinking about my business life since heading out on my own in 2009. 

My entire adult life, up until 2009, I was always in an office environment. So when I decided to start my own business, I never anticipated how rewarding it would be or, for that matter, how challenging things might be at times. So, if you're thinking about heading out on your own, especially from a part-time small business owner as a photographer to full-time, here are some thoughts on my experience over the last thirteen years.
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• Discipline: In the beginning, I thought I would have a hard time staying focused. After all, I had a home office and Molly the Wonder Dog by my side - will I stay in business mode or spend too much time playing with the dog, catching up to friends for lunch, etc. Well, the challenge was in the opposite direction. It became hard for me to step away at the end of the day. For example, I became obsessed with checking email. Often, we'd be headed to bed, and I'd say to Sheila, "Give me a minute. I just want to check my email." Well, a minute often became an hour or more. It took me years to finally learn to shut things down.
• Costs: There were little things I took for granted for so many years - like the cost of health insurance. There's a great line I heard once. It's relevant to those of you with full benefits on your day job. "You can't afford to go full-time until you can't afford not to." In other words, when the revenue coming in would be a severe loss, that's the time to look at full-time devotion to that side of your business.
• Taxes: Since we just finished tax season, it became essential for me to pay attention to everything I needed for my business and the actual cost of doing business. Getting more organized with business receipts and everything it took to run my business was so new to me.
• The Social Side: While it's been gratifying, I was doing fine until the pandemic hit. Losing contact with friends because all workshops and conventions were postponed took its toll. I laugh over how hard it must be to get me off the phone sometimes - so it's call me at your own risk. And if you're a good friend, you already know what I'm talking about. I miss contact with people!
• Facebook: FB became a saving grace through a lot of the challenges. While, like many of you, it's a love-hate relationship, it does help us all to stay in contact.
• Loving my Phone: Yes, I'm old school, and I'd always rather talk to somebody than text, but I also found that I missed those other voices in my head...literally. So, I'll regularly pick up the phone and just call somebody - whether it's a business inquiry or simply social.
• Efficiency: Getting organized to the point that you're not wasting time on things that don't make sense isn't easy. Keeping my calendar has been challenging, and it's my old-school whiteboard that often saves me. If I physically write down things I need to do, it sticks in my head better than loading it into my phone.

Being your own boss falls under "be careful what you wish for." It's been incredibly rewarding, but there's one more aspect that's made it an adventure. You need a partner - in this case, my wife, Sheila. She's not directly involved in the business, but she's my sounding board and muse daily. She knows most of the players and has had great insight into many of my challenges so often.

Would I do it all over again? Absolutely, and no sooner than when I did. I'm not one of those guys who says, "I wish I'd done this earlier!" Why? Because I wasn't ready. I hadn't learned enough about business or understood what was in my heart to make the move. 

When I first thought about leaving Rangefinder/WPPI, Sheila asked me, "What are you afraid of?" My answer, 
"Failing!" Well, here I am years later, and while it's hardly been easy when you're on your own, you own all the decisions - there are no committees, managers, or co-workers to blame. And that's the greatest benefit of all.

"My boss told me to have a good day.
​So I went home!"
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