1/18/2007
There’s No Eliminating the Boss
When I talk to people about what I do and how I decided to do it, I always mention the “I-didn’t-want-to-work-for-someone-else-anymore-so-I-quit-my-job” routine. This is a big reason why people go into business for themselves. It’s not the only one, but it’s up there on the list.Lately though, it seems that there are those that would remind me (as if I could forget) that I may not go to work for another company and have someone torture the hell out of me, but I still have others to answer to. There are clients, vendors, banks, and the like. They are the ones to tell you where it’s at, not the other way around. Of course it’s important to remember this because it is technically true: I answer to these people. I traded one tyrant for a potential gaggle of them.
But it’s funny… I just don’t view it that way. Yes, the clients dictate the type of work, the volume and the frequency, but overall – it’s either going to be something I want to do or not. Plus it’s all negotiable. Granted, it’s only been less than a year for me, but I’ve worked with a variety of clients and vendors. If it “clicks” with a client, you get more work, if not… you move on. You learn what people want and you give it to them. You learn from mistakes. No one’s going to beat me up over my mistakes more than I am – or remind me of it everyday like some bosses might. This is one big learning process – and I’m in control of what I want to take on or learn.
I guess maybe it boils down to a control thing. Maybe discipline too. So, although these people may call some of the shots, at the end of the day I still consider myself The Boss and sleep very well at night knowing that.
