This morning I woke up and started my usual daily routine of iced coffee and sitting down to catch up on any news. Only this time when I logged on I had several messages pop up on LinkedIn from former coworkers saying congrats on your work anniversary. Huh?
After a brief bit of confusion I realized that it is indeed the one year anniversary of our business. Where did time go? It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year. So much has happened and changed during the past year it’s not surprising that the date slipped my mind.
Looking back it was the best move I ever made. While the money isn’t up to what my corporate job was paying me I am more wealthy in other ways. I spend a lot more time with my family, the stress level is at or near zero most of the time and the flexibility to live a happier life is priceless. I mean we just returned from a month long road trip and drove our son to college thousands of miles away! That would have never been possible if I was still at a corporate job.
Of course there are always trade offs when choosing to venture out on your own. Taking a month off means you don’t get paid. There is no vacation time accrued for self employed people. You are solely responsible for everything that goes on with your business and your schedule. If you run out of supplies that’s on you. If you double book clients, your fault. You are the top of the chain and it’s all your responsibility to manage.
In the end it’s all a matter of your ability to balance work and life. I always had the desire to run my own business but I never knew what that business was going to be. We spent years kicking around ideas for start ups and looking into buying established companies but nothing ever panned out. Only after giving up and just deciding to work a regular 9-5 job did we finally stumble upon something that we could make profitable and have a balanced life. It has been the perfect fit for us and the life path we are working to achieve.
So happy anniversary to us! May the next year be as great as the first one.
Joe