Comments on: Do You Want to Run Your Own Business? Read this First!

By: Ivan Kukard

Ivan Kukard — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:27:45 +0000

Yeah! No workmates! I get very lonely and demotivated, like right now so I can relate very well with Rich’s comment to this post of yours. Being a “Solopreneur” as you put it is not easy. If anybody wants to buy my stupid site on internet marketing working from home make me an offer
Regards
Ivan Kukard
Cape Town
PS. Email addy etc supplied here are for real

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:38:03 +0000

Thanks for your article. It’s all so true. I have been a self employed computer consultant for 16 years now and make almost enough to live on. Not enough to enjoy anything or take any vacations With the downturn of the economy, I lost a couple customers, so I am really struggling to pay bills right now. I worked 13 years in factory before that. Yes, I wouldn’t go back, but I sure would like a mentor or some type of stability. It can be very lonely and depressing at times. Sometimes, it’s inspiring and rewarding. Having a vacation and taking a week off sounds like a dream that will never come true.
Thanks for letting me vent. – Rich

By: David Brenowitz

David Brenowitz — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 21:23:30 +0000

Working for yourself certainly has many advantages. I have had the opportunity of being an entreprenuer and it is definitly the way of the 21st century.
You get to make all the decisions, right or wrong. And the ones that do not work become an education for you.
Time management is crucial. Knowing when to work and when to play is a key factor.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:41:27 +0000

Fantastic write up, over 5 years on and everything you have said still rings true! Maybe an update or follow up post would be good?

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:47:05 +0000

A great article on running your own business with some very good points raised.

By: Man Van Edinburgh

Man Van Edinburgh — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:22:50 +0000

Your right running you own business makes you happy – nothing like spending hours thinking of new way to beat the opposition and then watch them copy you 1-3 years later…. once your onto the next big thing !

By: Massy

Massy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:47:45 +0000

A lot of us have the dream of owning our own business – but many don’t follow through!

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:39:03 +0000

Years passing but your words sounds actual now. Even taking in mind all those economy ups and downs. Thanks, Yaro, for the true picture of the pros and cons of running own business.

By: Are You Afraid of Success?

Are You Afraid of Success? — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:27:55 +0000

[...] You’re afraid to let go. If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, you might not make any real money until you sell your business. But it’s hard to let go of a company or idea that you’ve nurtured from day one – [...]

By: Ianni

Ianni — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:41:05 +0000

I was just wondering how to go about starting an art related business. I enjoy painting murals, drawing portraits, designing party invitations, and also face painting. I would like an online business, where my costumers can pay monthly installments. Im 18 years old. Currently in college and have never worked.

By: Entrepreneur Resource : A Collection of Resources | Job Search Tips and Advice - Applicant - A Guide To All Things Career

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:59:38 +0000

[...] Do You Want To Run Your Own Business? Read This First! : Before you jump in on the “start my own business” bandwagon, going through this article would be a good idea [...]

By: SA Music Man

SA Music Man — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:40:01 +0000

Digging back into the archives
Looking at the risks of running your own business, I think that they’re pretty reasonable risks considering the reward is your freedom.. As the cliche goes “freedom isn’t free” we’ve all just got to decide for ourselves if the cost is worth it or not

By: articles

articles — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:07:32 +0000

Four years later this article still reads well. Still enjoying my journey through entrepreneurs-journey.com/. Yaro, this has quickly become my favourite blog to read. thanks.

By: Wesley

Wesley — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:07:03 +0000

I have just started a small seo consultancy business and the steady income thing is not a major concern for me, as I have a lot of clients who pay in monthly installments. The one thing that I find hard is knowing when to stop work and when I can actually start it. I have a young family so time is a major issue for me.

Best wishes,

Wes

By: Ganesh

Ganesh — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:09:52 +0000

Although running a business sounds cool and all that. But in fact, I think you have to form a schedule so that you don’t get too involved. I liked that stuff you talked about “life is balance”. Maybe hiring someone do your work is a smart idea.

Ganesh.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:35:50 +0000

This is a great article. I have now left the rat race, never to look back. You’re right that the only way to make any decent money is by running your own business!

By: kahthan

kahthan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:36:55 +0000

Im just getting started down this road, the journey is going to be long, but my target is two years to have a full time income online and to be able spend more time with my family instead of going for a 9 to 5 job.. and you’re the inspiration Yaro!

By: Francis Wade

Francis Wade — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:00:17 +0000

I have been an entrepreneur for 15 years and over that time have had to think about my time management very differently also.

While the freedom to do what I want is attractive, I live in Jamaica where there are lots of interesting distractions! There are beautiful places always calling out my name, and over and over again I hear about waterfalls, beaches or parties that I’d love to attend… but won’t because business is calling.

It’s so very different from working for someone else who sets up mandatory meetings that allow one’s life to waste away… I used to work for a Fortune 50, and I vividly recall 3 hour meetings that were pure suffering, and accomplished little. I remember having a feeling that my life was out of my hands…

Having said that, I can’t imagine an entrepreneur being successful without a good time management system of their own.

By: Georjina

Georjina — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:28:26 +0000

Excellent post as always Yaro. It’s the clearest explanation I’ve read on the opportunity cost for starting a business.

Good to know I’m not the only one attempting to give a reality check on what it means to ‘Go It Alone’….it’s can be a fun and life changing albeit scary roller-coaster ride and if you can live with that, jump in.

By: Greg Brave

Greg Brave — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:29:55 +0000

I think this article will make many people think twice before leaving their day jobs to become self employed. It definitely made me think… naaah ! There are lots of ways to socialize with people provided you have the personality.

By: Noobpreneur

Noobpreneur — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:12:44 +0000

Yaro,

All the ‘negatives’ you mention – don’t stop me from my plan to achieve the freedom I want!

Your ‘rich without material wealth’ intrigues me! That’s what I’m after all this year – I don’t really give a d@mn having millions of dollar in my account, as long as I can life my life the way I want, not the way my boss want.

Rock on, Yaro!

By: Tony - Nigerian Entrepreneur

Tony - Nigerian Entrepreneur — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:05:33 +0000

I will suggest you start your internet business with a blog! My reason being that a blog when taking seriously as a business forces one to learn basic and fundamental skills required for running a successful business.
I started blogging for fun. But as I was reading other people’s blog, I came across Yaro Starak and some other wonderful bloggers who made me change my attitude towards blogging. I started considering blogging as an online business.

However, I would have started on a wrong footing if not for articles writing by this professional bloggers. I wanted to run after PROFIT instead of building RELATIONSHIP and TRUST! If you get enough people to TRUST you as a friend online, you can be rest assured that PROFIT will follow. I became a huge fan of Yaro because of the FREE advice he offers in his post and articles. He may not be the biggest blogger I know, but he is the best Blogging Tutor I have ever had.

I strongly suggest you read the Yaro’s free report on “How to start an internet Business”

Finally, the risk of loosing money is minimised for a bloggin business. You can actually start with a free blogging software like the blogger (though I don’t recommend it). The goal is to gain practical experience.

By: Peter Lee

Peter Lee — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:56:46 +0000

Many people choose to go into a new business startup on a part time basis first. Following a good marketing plan is essential something along the line of the 80/20 rule that even Yaro has ever written. Focus on the 20% activities that account for the 80% results you want.

Peter Lee

By: Orca

Orca — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:29:10 +0000

Is it necessary to have a business before doing Internet business or I can start my Internet business immediately. Thank you.

By: TH

TH — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:59:06 +0000

Thanks a lot Yaro. Those numbers look reasonable and I can see what you are saying about how it depends on location. For people who want to give it a go, it seems like it would be a good idea to head someone with a lower cost of living during the initial stages, until you have enough coming in.

Do you know of any countries/cities that are economical with reliable internet connection?

By: Yaro

Yaro — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:34:50 +0000

I can’t really answer that question for you TH. I can tell you for me, back when I went full time, I felt okay if I had $2000 a month coming in, but now I need a lot more to cover staff etc.

People in the UK say they need $4000 USD a month to survive, but if you live in some Asian and south american cities you can probably live quite comfortably on $1000 a month.

By: TH

TH — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:50:02 +0000

How much would you recommend having in monthly income from your website(s) before quitting the day job and trying to do the online gig full-time? Or is it the old ‘if you have you ask, it’s not enough’ thing?

By: Devin T.

Devin T. — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:08:49 +0000

So true. There is a lot of upfront work to a business, and then it doesn’t leave you alone. You just pray and hope that your efforts produce positive exponential results.

By: Brian Morgan

Brian Morgan — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:29:04 +0000

The book called the “E Myth” has a lot to say about the average small business. Many small firms are simply owners that are expert technicians, they are great at their craft, but that is it, without them showing up to the office everyday, well, nothing happens without them. It really is not an Entrepreneurial Firm by Michael Gerber’s definition. Anyway – think you’ll like the book and it might give some of you a more focused definition of small business versus big business – there are many variables and differences between a small solo-business and a big business – the knowledge of business dynamics separates the two. Brian Morgan

By: Querblogger

Querblogger — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:06:58 +0000

I like to follow your thoughts Yaro…

…and you´re right, there will be some “disadvantages” by starting your own business, but it “is very likely to make you a happier person”, which is by far much more important! If one can handle it, why not?

Bye,
Querblogger