Self Employed? How To Use Your Business Advantage

The self employed may be amongst the more fortunate people as this recession bites deeper, being as they are, in a position to make more and faster changes to their business than traditional hierarchical businesses.

The innate flexibility of self-employment can be an enormous advantage at times like this, but only if you both recognise and react to the need for changes as your market changes. The fact that you make your own decisions means you can act faster and move quicker than larger commercial enterprises.

This article, which is by a long term self employed floor fitter, explains quite clearly how you can maintain your commercial advantage through self employment.

The Self-Employed to Help Themselves

By Richard James Williams

The current financial crisis across the World has highlighted how fragile the employment market can be. With references being made to the Wall Street crash of the thirties, the current crisis does not have precedence but is obviously much more real to those experiencing it. Some people are much more affected than others but its fair to say that everyone gets affected in some way, whether its rising costs in the shops or less money in their pocket or from their savings.

One of the main areas affected by recession is the job market. Already we have seen reports of redundancies & layoffs from some of the most established companies - those that we incorrectly perceived would be best placed to survive a severe financial downturn & that has come as a shock to most. Perhaps we are having a wake up call? Is now an ideal opportunity for all of us to take stock of what we are, what we do & perhaps find ways that we can do it better?

For the self employed, things are arguably easier, as being in this position gives you a degree of flexibility & the real ability to make changes to your business that enable you to adapt quickly to change. This only works of course, if you are able to recognise that you need to change & it is at this first hurdle that many will fall as sometimes we are too blinkered to recognise the need for change!

Be receptive to change. Just because you've always done something a certain way, doesn't make that way the best way - every successful business always evaluates what it does & the way that it achieves it. The first rule for any business owner is to set clear goals. Goal setting is one of the most important methods of achieving success both in your personal life & in business. Take a look at where you are now & set clear & achievable goals for where you want your business to be over the next two years. Write down the goals & review them on a daily basis (first thing in the morning is best), by reviewing them you will plant them into your subconscious & you will bring them into being. The important thing about goal-setting is to make sure the goals are achievable & you should always write them down in the first person present tense e.g. " by February 2010 I am turning over £200,000 per annum". Review your goals as you achieve them & set new ones as required. There are a wealth of resources on goal setting & it is one of the most powerful tools in your life.

In addition to goal setting, manage your time. It is better to do 3 tasks completely than start & not finish 20. There are numerous courses & books about time management, some techniques are really simple but very effective & time management will help you achieve your goals & will make your business run more efficiently & effectively. Do not procrastinate, don't put off tasks until tomorrow that you need to do today. Customers keep coming back to people who do what they promise to do in the time required.

Budget effectively in your business activities. Keep control over your finances with an effective accounts package. There are many out there & you are sure to find a package that works for you & with you. Know exactly where every penny is & equally, make sure you collect every penny owed to you. Never forget that cashflow is the lifeblood of any business, particularly a small one.

Excel in what you do. So many people carry out a job of work without really thinking about how well they do it. Push yourself to be the very best that you can be in your field of work. Learn new skills, improve your existing ones, take new courses to introduce new skill-sets to your business. You will be rewarded with the knowledge that you are doing the best that you possibly can & customers will be delighted with your standards & keep using you & importantly recommending you to others.

Never stand still. Always be alert to new opportunities in business & better ways of doing things. Join a local or national trade association & share your experiences with others & you will also have access to invaluable levels of skills & experience form a huge resource.

Most importantly of all - be positive. Think & speak positively, do not run with the current trend of talking ourselves into recession. Be positive & upbeat with customers & fellow tradespeople, we bring into being that which we think about most - the current press coverage does no favours for the economy, don't become part of it but fight it & you will prevail. A final word -You are responsible for your life, no one else. What happens to you is a direct result of what you do so be proactive & take control of your present & your future.

Richard Williams is a self employed floor fitter with 18 years experience & has recently created a self-help networking site aimed exclusively at the self-employed of the UK. The site is aimed at any tradesperson/business or self employed person & is intended as a resource to help you grow & develop your business through the sharing of information & experience. The site can be found at http://www.tradesreunited.org.uk

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The Self Employed Advantage

Being self employed may make you one of the more fortunate people as this recession bites deeper, because you are in a position to make faster changes to your business than traditional hierarchical businesses, in response to changing market conditions. However, this is only true if you both recognise and react to the need for changes as your market changes. The article above from a self employed floor fitter should give you a better idea of the advantage you actually possess.

You should also read how improving your Proposal Writing skills could boost your business.

You can easily avoid the disappointment and frustration of seeing your dream job slip through your fingers by getting the best job search and career change information you can.

Because it only takes one slip-up when the competition for new jobs is so fierce, you owe it to yourself to learn the job winning techniques that are proven to work, just as they have for many people before you.

Self-marketing, or 'selling' yourself; writing cover letters and great resumes / CVs are all skills that most people could do better with the right information. When it comes to interview skills, too many people are prepared to 'fly by the seat of their pants'. Don't let yourself down and leave it to chance like that, get the latest and most complete job search information and you'll feel the difference when you approach each step of your career change more confidently - knowing you have what it takes!

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