If you are in the decision phase of whether or not to take the step of owning your own business, this success tip is for you. There is a lot of “information” out there as to why you shouldn’t own your own business, but let’s take a different look at it and find out what the benefits would be if you were a business owner. Find out four major benefits from someone who was once in your shoes in this segment of an interview between Dale Beaumont and Suzi Dafnis.
Suzi was the founder of Pow Wow Events, a company distributes books and other learning products, and occupies more than 50% of the market in the personal finance, personal development and business skills segment. Having now sold that company, she is the director of the Australian Business Women’s Network.
What do you think are some of the major benefits of having your own business?
Being as passionate as I am about business, I am sure I could easily write a whole book on this question alone. However, here’s a quick summary of what I think are four of the main benefits of business ownership.
- You get to think differently – I remember in 1998 Apple launched its ‘Think Different’ campaign. Its ads featured a montage of people such as Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Amelia Earhart, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Picasso, and the voiceover said: ‘They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward’. In other words, they change the world. That’s the way I feel about business. By daring to build your own business you are forced to think differently, and by doing so you touch the lives of thousands, or possibility even millions, of people.
- You get to be your own boss – One of the main reasons I decided to start my own business was because I don’t like limits, rules or being told what to do. That’s my nature; I think it is in every entrepreneur’s nature! In most jobs, regardless of how senior your role is, or how hard you work, you’re expected to be somewhere at some time, and do something in exchange for a defined pay-cheque at the end of the week, fortnight or month. I started my own business so that I could have the freedom to create my life just the way I wanted it. Today, as my own boss I work harder (much harder) than I did when I was an employee, but I love it! The good thing is that I work because I choose to, not because I have to, and when I want time off, I take it. It’s a great feeling.
- No glass ceiling and no ladders to climb – Another upside of entrepreneurship, especially for women, is that there is no glass ceiling and there is no corporate ladder. No one can put a cap on your earning potential and you don’t have to play politics just to keep your job. Business doesn’t care about your past, whether you’re a man or a woman, your age or your background, it doesn’t have prejudice – it is just a creative process and anyone can use business as a vehicle to obtain their own sovereignty.
- The alchemy of business – With business you have the power to create something out of nothing. First there is an idea, then you add your knowledge, time, money and intention – and suddenly, you have a new ‘something’. That’s magic. I believe business is the ultimate creative endeavour. I’ve often thought that I’m not using my creativity, until I check in and remember that there was once nothing and now there are hundreds of thousands of people with experiences that resulted from something I created. It’s very humbling.
For more on the Major Benefits to Owning Your Own Business and this interview check out Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!
