My answer would have been different 10 years ago. I would have cheered with you at the kitchen table as you drew up your sales plan and got started.
Unfortunately, life as a self-employed person has become very different, and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, so many people in Canada and the US have become self-employed. We had a lot of time, cleaned out our basements and garages and the online store platforms lured us with special offers to build our own side hustle or passive income with cat coaching or meditation videos directly from the garage. Everyone thought he or she was a startup and everyone was somehow busy. The many bankruptcies in the post-Covid era show what really worked and that many have given up altogether and returned to the calm waters of a permanent position in a company. They now continue to work from home in their pyjamas, with a cup of coffee in hand, 10 steps from the bedroom to the office. 20% of offices in downtown Toronto are vacant.
Then came the AI boom and made even more people feel insecure: will my job at a company remain safe or will a friendly robot one day tell me that it's time for me to go? "Please take the big box, the Crocs under the desk and the big green plant with you."
Self-employment means working 24/7, especially in the first year, if you really want it to be a success. And don't fall for the “We all love each other and you're such a great genius” posts on LinkedIn. Ask yourself every day, "What am I doing here and how do I organize my day?" nobody helps you, you are the boss and have to take care of everything, but really everything yourself. A good coach (please not your lover or husband or wife) can help you with the first steps, especially at the beginning. It's not about your own ego, but only about whether people are willing to spend money on your product. Does your product or service fulfill a need that people really have? AI is the means to an end and supports your work in all areas. It is therefore important that you understand the AI applications that are right for you and use them appropriately. Money is always tight in self-employment, so forget about scaling quickly and the field hockey stick. If you don't speak in startup slang, your customers, employees and suppliers will understand you much better. You don't need to book expensive motivational seminars, be yourself, find a few colleagues or employees so that you don't have to do everything on your own. Talk to your customers in person and not via a chat to see if they like your product and would buy it again.
For many people, day-to-day work in an established company is challenging enough and gives them a sense of security. Doing your own thing has become much more challenging today. Most start-up products are adaptations of existing products, but not innovations. AI will give us a tailwind to develop innovative solutions for people or companies. There is nothing better than building your own company, being your own boss and learning to deal with the many setbacks and the many successes. Working completely independently is still one of the best things you can do in your life.
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