Things I miss about having my own business…

There are many pros (and cons) to owning your own business… Guess I’m feeling a little nostalgic this week. Or disgruntled. Or flighty. Or something.

Here are just a few of the pros I’ve been thinking about this morning (as I also contemplate jumping out of the 2nd story window of our building as a means of escape):

  • Setting my own hours (i.e. having more time for my daughter).
  • Not being a slave to commuter traffic from hell - adding an hour+ of “work” to each end of my day. Can you say #SuckIt Seattle?
  • Choosing my clients. I.e. getting to decide who I work with or for, rather than having to co-exist with some co-workers who disrespect me and/or what I do.
  • Working from home, in my PJ’s if I want to. Or from a cafe. Or from a shaded bench at Lincoln Park or Alki, overlooking Puget Sound. Or at the dining room table of a clients home. Because mixing it up is interesting. Even to this OCD uber organized, likes a schedule, kinda gal.
  • Not missing all those crazy cute little things my daughter does each day because I’m actually there to pick her up when she gets out of school in the afternoon, rather than being away from her for 10+ hours a day. 5 days a week.
  • Being able to go to the doctor, dentist, a museum, take a road trip, get an oil change, etc. when you want to, not when everyone else and their mother is trying to do it too (eves and weekends).
  • Getting out of it (work) as much as I’m willing to put in. This is *sort* of true when you work for “The Man” (to the degree that being your own CEO is part of your company culture), but then again, no one in an office setting will EVER know how much you bust your hump for the team, the company, the bottom line, etc. because there is no tangible thing for them to SEE this or measure it. At least not for the kind of work I do.


When you’re doing your own gig, YOU know what you’re doing and YOU know how much you put into it, and it makes you feel really darn good because you get to give yourself the accolades & praise for a job well done, instead of resenting the fact that no one at your office appreciates (really) what it is that you bring to the table.

Of course, it sure is great getting a regular paycheck. And health benefits. And free lunch. And in this economy, let’s face it, that’s a good thing. #JustSayin

That’s it for now. Stay calm. Carry on.