I became self-employed, safe in the knowledge that we could “survive” on my maternity pay. If I could make just ￡1500 per month, we’d be good. Only, they don’t tell you at “entrepreneur school” that you can’t just work for 20 hours per week at ￡25 per hour, minus a bit of expenses, and take your ￡1500. So I will. Here are 16 things you have to know about becoming self-employed: 1. “Self-employed” is completely the wrong way to think of this. You are NOT employed. If you think like an employee, you’ve already missed the point. 2. Every friend or family member you know will think you're mad or will be worried about you failing, or both. 3. Nobody will check in on you. If you want this to work, you have to make it work. 4. You will have no structure. Nothing. You have to decide what the heck you’re going to spend your time doing. My suggestion: do the things that bring in money. 5. You will have no priorities. You have to decide what deserves your attention. And just to say, ten-gazillion things could make it onto that list if you let them. 6. You can live without a logo. This is not a reason not to get started. 7. You are your own everything department.?When tech goes wrong, it's on you to fix it or find someone who can. Your accounts aren’t filed, also, this is on you. Make systems. 8. Clients can be unpredictable. Some may vanish without a word, and others might demand more than agreed upon. Set the rules for working together. Hold the power in the relationship. 9. Holidays will be a luxury if you don’t factor them into your business. Systemise your business so you can take time off. Price so you can take time off. 10. Marketing yourself is a daily job. If you’re not out there promoting, you won’t have clients when you need them. 11. You'll need to be a financial planner. Budgeting, saving for taxes, and managing irregular income is all part of the package. Find someone who can do this for you if you can’t. 12. You’ll crave the simplicity of a job you can go to and forget at the end of the day. You’ll also feel like a caged anminal if you ever try to be an employee again. 13. You’ll need to ignore everyone else. Comparison will make you paranoid. Stay in your lane. Stay focussed. Get really damn good at what you do. 14. There will be failures. Not everything will go according to plan. The first business might not even be “the one”. Learn and move on. 15. It won’t happen overnight. Overnight success is months and months of getting out of your comfort zone and sitting at your laptop in the evenings. 16. Support networks are invaluable. Find people who understand what you’re doing, they know how to get there faster. ——————————— I’m Zoe and I share posts like this that help you be the entrepreneur you want to be. Follow me for more.