How to be successful while being self-employed

With the daily increase in the rate of unemployment in the country, it isn’t surprising to see a lot of individuals, youths especially, opting to start their own businesses rather than getting involved in the hustle for a white-collar job.  

Actually, being self-employed can be stressful at times, especially for individuals just starting their businesses and like any other job, it comes with its pros and cons.  

As a self-employed individual, it is quite possible for you to become very successful at your business if you are intentional and will not turn a lackadaisical attitude to work.  

Just as you will put your best into another man’s work, it is expedient that you put much more effort into your own business because according to a Yoruba saying, “if the butt gets spoilt, the owner of the butt is the one to bear the consequence.”  

This, therefore, means that the success of your business or brand as a self-employed individual is dependent on you, that is, the ball is in your court.  

To help you achieve success even as a self-employed individual, here are five steps to be followed.   

1. Know what you want  

If you can see it, you can get it. Our mind is so powerful. As a self-employed individual who wants to be successful, you need to be able to envision the end you have in mind and work toward it.  

When you know what you want to achieve through the business and you have the end in mind, you are better able to position yourself to put in all it takes to achieve your desires.   

Hard work and skills are all well and good, but without an overarching direction for your business, you’ll never be able to realise your full potential.   

Make sure that you know where you want to end up and examine every step you take to make sure it lines up with your end goal.  

2. Be disciplined  

According to Patrick Lencioni, “Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.”  

Highly successful individuals are individuals with a great level of discipline. The fact that you own the business doesn’t mean you should run it anyhow you like.  

One thing I appreciate about business owners from the SouthEast when compared to other regions of Nigeria is that they are very disciplined and business-minded.   

As a self-employed individual, you must make discipline your core value if you must achieve great success at what you do.   

3. Branding   

As humans, we are often moved more by what we see than what we hear.   

Your brand is the image you present to the public about who you are and what you do. Your branding goes a long way in determining if you will be successful at what you do or not.   

As a self-employed individual, you need to invest a lot into your branding. I have seen certain businesses that the reason most people patronise is as a result of their professionalism with regard to branding.   

Put in your best in making sure that the public perception of your business is excellent. Hire the right set of people for the development of your website, social media pages and every other area of the business.   

In the words of Jeff Bezos, ‘A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.’  

4. Build quality relationships   

In the words of Isaac Newton, ‘If you have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’   

Running a business can be quite competitive since you are looking for means to get ahead of your competitors in the same market. It is also important you cultivate and build quality relationships.   

Building positive relationships in business is one of the most important foundations for success. There are definitely people who have been in that business ahead of you, instead of seeing everyone as your competitor, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to try to build positive relationships with your colleagues in the same field.  

As a self-employed individual, don’t underestimate the power of quality relationships if you will succeed because a single relationship or connection can save your business from going down the drain.  

5. Never stop learning  

As a business owner, the day you stop learning, the day your business starts experiencing death.   

There are quite a lot of businesses that have gone down the drain because their owners failed to continue learning and updating themselves with the various technological innovations and other changes being introduced to the world today.  

If you’re not constantly learning and improving, you’re not going to remain valuable or relevant as time goes by.   

If you must thrive as a business owner, you need to ensure that you keep on learning. Go for seminars, workshops, and conferences, take online classes and do all you need to do to stay updated.    

Continuous learning gives you a hedge over others in your field.  

Entrepreneurship or being self-employed is not for the faint-hearted. Put in all the needed efforts and I guarantee you great success.   

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