A fight for control

Self-employment is not for the faint of heart. That's why many people prefer to stay in formal employment instead of doing something about their long-cherished dreams of stepping out and running their own show. It's not because they lack the resources; often they have all it takes but the underlying fear of failing numbs them from letting go of the security of a reliable monthly salary and related perks.

Use your expertise to lay down your terms

Those who bravely step out of the boat and tread on the waters are immediately confronted by strong waves and must quickly learn to swim against the tide lest they sink before their vision bears any fruits. That's the way it is—that at the centre of every enterprise are two contending forces: the good and the bad. The good is rare in the marketplace, and the evil force is always pulling all the stops to subjugate and control the good to stop them from making headway in the industry and become independent. They want to stay in control of them.

 

The evil force may be that tech guy you pay to fix your computer but never really does. He tinkers with it and makes you believe he has done a fantastic job, but two days later you will be calling him to 'fix' it again. It may also be the big man who brings you projects and gets rich at your expense; never paying you on time, or always paying you in small installments with colourful promises of how the next project will pay bigger and better. These are two examples of tricks used to make you a victim of dependency syndrome whereby you find yourself under the control of another person even if you’re self-employed. 

The contending forces will always be there: one doing everything to outwit and control the other. But know who you are and what you have, and use it to lay down terms those who need your expertise should respect, or have no business dealing with them again.