Are you tired of the rat-race? Sick of having a boss to answer to? Do you feel that there’s more to life than being in the office every day from 9 til 5? Maybe you should think about branching out on your own.

Now, I’m not saying it’s for everyone but with these points in mind coupled with a challenging job market and the fact that there are very few jobs that you stay in for the duration of your career anymore, many of us are going it alone and making our way in the world as entrepreneurs and small business owners.

There are currently individuals of all ages in the UK and in fact, all over the world setting up their businesses. Some go it alone full-time while others, who are happy in their 9-5, may have a small venture on the side to boost income and get a slice of success for themselves.

Though you don’t have to run your own business to be successful – that fact that 500,000 people start up their own business every year in the UK alone must mean there’s something in it!

Not every business has to be big to be successful, out of the 4.8 million small businesses in UK, 3.6 million are sole proprietors. 97% of businesses have less than 20 employees and 95% of those less than 5.

So, if you are thinking about taking the plunge what can you expect from running your own business?

There are obviously pros and cons to going alone and you have to work out what works best for you. Working for yourself means you have more control – you get to decide who you want to work with, where you want your business to go, what your working day looks like and what is the right work-life balance for you. It also gives you the opportunity to follow your passion and challenge yourself through your work.

All this sounds great, it’s what we all want, isn’t it?

Besides deciding the whats, wheres, whys, whos and hows of your business, you’ll also have to consider what it’s like working for yourself and possibly alone if that is what your business model looks like- do you have the self-discipline, drive and motivation to turn up every day? And what will happen if you don’t? Will you still commit when there’s no boss to tell you off or to keep you moving forward?

You will need resilience- things are not always plain sailing, there will be disappointments along the way so you’ll need to be able to bounce back and keep moving forward.

You’ll need a clear vision/plan including SMART goals to work towards, you’ll need to push yourself out of your ‘Comfort Zone’ and in to you ‘Stretch Zone of Personal Growth and Possibility’ (so called by Bev James in Do it or Ditch it). Pushing yourself in to your Stretch Zone is critical for success.

So how do you know you’re ready to get going?

Firstly, you need an idea of what your business will be and if you’re passionate enough and motivated enough the rest will follow.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t be afraid to learn.

If you’d like support or guidance with any of the above please don’t hesitate to contact me at hello@chloedelaunaycoaching.com