What I Love About Self-Employment

After last week’s blog post about freelancers’ prices, some folks asked why I would choose to be self-employed given the benefits that come with working for a business and the added costs of being your own boss. While there are drawbacks to being a solopreneur, I’ve not looked back since starting my own business. Here’s what I love about self-employment:

• I work more now than I ever have before, but I am passionate about the work. That makes all the difference. I look forward to sitting down at my computer each day, reading books and helping authors. I count myself fortunate to be doing what I love most and getting paid for it.

  
  

  

  
  

• While I don’t get paid vacation time, I do get to choose whether I take days off or not. And I get to schedule them whenever I want. No boss to ask, no clashes with other employees’ requests. I can take a vacation and not have to work at all—a big change from the days when the magazine schedule dictated that I work every school vacation week, meaning I missed out on days with my family. If I know my family will have a busy week, I can manage my calendar so I have fewer projects during that time. And if my boys will be off doing something on their own, I can take advantage of the empty house and do lots of projects.

  
  

  

  
  

• I can also choose to take my work wherever my family might wander. Back in 2019, we set off on The Big Trip—Maine to Canada to Colorado to Montana and back—and I worked while my husband drove and took care of the camping chores. A picnic table in a national park and a hammock next to a beautiful lake aren’t too shabby in terms of office spaces.

  
  

  

  
  

• I get to decide which projects to take on and which to pass up. Horror novel? A romance with cheating as a main thread? No thanks. Sweet romance by the ocean? Romantic thriller? Fairy-tale remake? I’m all in. I’m also fully in charge of pricing. I can offer payment plans, give discounts, or do something pro bono if I’m passionate about it. (Clearly I can’t do that for every client or project, but it’s nice when I’m able to.)

  
  

  

• Since I am a one-woman show, I am in charge of all aspects of the business: the marketing and advertising, invoicing, keeping the books, contracts and legal matters, client communication, project management, website development and maintenance, and, of course, the editing. If I’m not feeling up to updating my website (honestly, I almost never am—it’s my least favorite business job), there’s always another task waiting to be done. On any given day, I can do focus on just one or two things, or I can cycle through all of them. It’s up to me.

  
  

  

  
  

• I have choices when it comes to professional development, associations I belong to, and the events I attend. There aren’t any mandatory trainings (sexual harassment in the workplace, I’m looking at you), no meetings I don’t schedule personally, and no boring presentations on topics that don’t interest me and/or have nothing to do with the work I actually do.

  
  

  

  
  

• I am an introvert, and I don’t miss the water cooler, gossip, and small talk that come with working in an office. I choose how I am most comfortable communicating with clients: email and messaging, not phone calls and Zoom. When I feel the need for social interaction or need someone to lean on, I have a network of edibuddies I’ve chosen and associations I have joined.

  
  

  

• There’s no packing a lunch, no dress clothes to purchase or maintain (or wear!), no worrying about timing breaks. If I need to get up and walk around, I can go get the mail or hang a load of laundry. I’m home to take care of deliveries, repairs, or installations. Best of all, there’s no commute (other than perhaps stepping around a laundry basket). I did the two-hour-plus D.C. commute for a summer when I was in college. I had a stick-shift car and no air conditioning—that about sums it up.

  

• You didn’t think I’d neglect to mention working in pajamas, did you? I live in Maine, and it’s cold and snowy (don’t get me wrong—I love the cold and snow!). There’s nothing better than snuggling in to edit books while wearing fuzzy pants. It doesn’t hurt that my chair is between the fire and a huge window looking out on all the wildlife in our backyard. In late summer and fall, I take my work to the back deck. It’s shady and cool, and I can watch the birds as they come to our feeder.

  
  

  

The common thread throughout all these points is choice—I get to make decisions about when and where I work, what I work on, and who I work with. I may not have the job security and perks that come with a corporate job, but I’ve chosen this, and I am thankful for that every day.

Have you chosen to be your own boss? What do you love about it? Would you make the same choice again? I’d love to hear about your journey.