Bossing Yourself Around
Today we welcome guest blogger Kate Bezar to Small Business Owner. Kate is the founder, publisher, editor and dreamer of Dumbo feather, a self-described ‘mook’. What’s that, you ask? You’ll have to read Kate’s profile to find out…
I was once asked in an interview what the best and worst things about being a small business owner were. Interestingly enough, my answer was the same for both questions; “Being my own boss.”
While it’s wonderful to be the master of your own destiny, captain of your own frigate, answerable to no middle-aged-Ricky-Gervais-in-a-double-breasted-suit and of course, able to leave work at 9:01am if one so desires, for me, it also brings with it a whole heap of angst.
I think most people have a number of voices in their head that they have to manage; parents, children, partners, George (or is he just my special friend?). You know, those voices that tell you that you should be doing something a different way, or not doing something at all. But when you’re your own boss, there’s another voice to add to the cacophony.
The conversation in my head generally goes something like this; “Right Kate, we really need to get this done by 5pm today”, “Ah, but Kate, we both know that it really doesn’t have to be done until Monday 9am.”
This is inevitably followed by, “I can’t believe you missed the 5pm deadline! … You’re hopeless … You’re fired!”
Let’s face it, setting yourself false deadlines is just never going to work, I mean, who are you trying to fool?
Sometimes I dearly miss having someone, other than myself, to tell me something’s not quite up to scratch or that the deadline really is 5pm today.
Likewise, wouldn’t it be lovely to have someone else to pat you on the back and congratulate you on a job well done or shout you a drink at 5pm when you’ve made that deadline. It’s just not quite the same when you do it to yourself and it’s pretty tricky to get your arm all the way back there.
Anyway, it’s Tuesday 9:01am, I’ve just finished writing this, so I think I might head off and meet a friend for coffee … I know … I’m lucky, my boss really is pretty cool!
Kate Bezar, Founder, Dumbo feather
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Cool post, Kate! Every Friday, after a hard week’s work, I listen for the clink of a drinks trolley trundling down my hall. It never comes. I wish my boss would retire! Best regards, P.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for the cool post…
I can’t believe it…such a small world…you know George too?…but who the hell is Ricky Gervais? :- )
Cheers
Stephen G
hey kate, entertaining post. Good luck on keeping that boss under control.
I can totally relate Kate. I made myself do a timesheet recently to see where I wasted my precious hours. It was pretty funny actually…by about half way through the day the little voice was saying ‘that’s not work, that’s just surfing the internet’.
Needless to say, I threw it out and didn’t do it again but it was a bit of an eye opener.
It’s funny, and maybe because I’m not actually trading yet, but I haven’t actually thought of myself and my business in terms of ‘being my own boss’. I think this may be because I tend to see having my own business in terms of ‘degrees’ of apparent autonomy.
That is to say that instead of seeing myself as an ‘employee’ answerable to an immediate superior (insert ‘being’ here for too many people), as a sole trader, I’m answerable to a large number of arguably more immediate people (clients & customers – my business will have both), and many others who represent vast immortal legal entities with almost endless resources. e.g. multi-level government/legal/regulatory compliances, tax, OH&S, tax, tax & did I mention tax? :- P
The main difference for me is the context and levels of responsibility & consequence. So I kind of see myself as working for the community/society. If I do something they don’t like I get sacked…often in more ways than one…
As for getting myself motivated? The only motivation I need is that the alternative would be to have someone else telling me to do the same thing…I know which one I prefer. That said, I’m not exactly my best mate (though I try), and can be pretty hard on myself…but sometimes, if I don’t get a bit tough on myself things just don’t get done and when there isn’t someone else to blame or sack or oppress, then best I just do it :- )
Cheers
Stephen G