Are you an escapee from the 9 to 5 or just want to be? There’s lots of us.
Nontraditional (self employed) workers in America rose from 10.1 percent in February 2005 to 15.8 percent in late 2015. 27 million Americans will leave full-time jobs from now through 2020, bringing the total number of self-employed to 42 million. Surprisingly, this is relatively small compared to the rest of the world.
Almost every other country has higher self employment than the United States. Anyone who has been self employed knows there are advantages and disadvantages to this. In many countries self employment is not a choice, it’s a matter of survival. They don’t have the large corporate culture that dominates the landscape in the United States.
Whether it’s genetic memory from our old world ancestors or dissatisfaction with the corporate world, many people each year decide to escape the 9 to 5. There are lots of reasons for making the shift:
- Desire for control
- Desire to travel
- Desire for free time
- Desire for flexibility
- Desire for ___ (Fill in the blank)____
Finding Success
It would be nice if everyone who escapes the 9 to 5 is successful in the long term. Unfortunately, many budding entrepreneurs go from being an expert in their corporate business to being a jack of all trades in their own business. There’s a saying that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. The same is often true for entrepreneurs. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should. This is where many entrepreneurs get into trouble. They try to do everything themselves and eventually drop the ball in some area of their business.
Entrepreneurs who are most successful in their escape from the 9 to 5 are usually quick to identify what other roles they need in their business. Finding the right resource for the right job is a key to success. Even if you are a business of one, you can find ways to outsource tasks so you can focus on the things that you do best.
Before you decide to leave your corporate job, be prepared. Know that you are not alone and that if others have done it you can do it too. Know your limitations and don’t try to do everything yourself. This can become a trap. Look at what others have done, and model what works. Throughout this site we have dozens of stories that may give you ideas for your escapee business, and hopefully some wisdom to keep you on a profitable track.
More references:
https://data.oecd.org/emp/self-employment-rate.htm
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2018/article/self-employment.htm
https://www.statista.com/statistics/228346/people-who-are-self-employed-usa/
https://nypost.com/2018/03/25/self-employment-is-a-rising-trend-in-the-american-workforce/
