Isn't It Time You Became Your Own Boss?

Are you tired of the 9-5, had enough of being told to do by managers or simply want to have a more family-friendly existence? If the answer’s “yes” to one or more of these questions then it could be time for a career change and a move into self-employment.

It’s certainly a boom time for it with more and more businesses being set up each month. In fact, figures show that over 340,000 opened their doors for business in the first six months of 2016 alone.

Of course you may not even have to literally open your doors, or even have any premises yourself, especially if your new career is the kind of service which involves visiting your clients. So, with no office overheads to cover, it will already give you a financial headstart. Plus you really will be your own boss, in charge of your own destiny.

So it’s all very well talking about this bright new future but what are you actually going to do? Well here are three ideas to think about.

Financial adviser

If your career to date’s been involved in finance in any way then becoming a financial adviser could become a very shrewd move. In these times of economic uncertainty, not to mention low interest rates, there are many people out there who just don’t know what to do to maximise their finances. There are also many more investment opportunities than most people aren’t used to dealing with, for example dealing in stocks and shares or even getting into the world of indices trading. So they really would value the opportunity to have someone they could trust to give them sound advice, whether on major indices like the Dow Jones or niche ones which track renewable energies or cybersecurity.

Career or life coach

You may have had enough of your current career but that’s not to say that you can’t put the skills, knowledge and experience that you’ve amassed over the years into helping others to maximise their potential. If reports are to believed a great deal of new business potential in this field is coming from women wanting to give their careers a boost and even to break through the notorious glass ceiling. By broadening out your services and becoming a life coach too you’ll also be able expand your potential client base and generate more business.

Interior designer

Over the years you’ve probably gained a great deal of experience of making design and aesthetic decisions about your own home without even realising it. So if you’ve found that you have a flair for it and can also appreciate the tastes of other people then why not make a career of helping them visualise the homes that they really want and help to turn it into reality? There are lots of interior design courses available including a very useful 6-week one at Hull College which will teach you the basics and help you decide if it’s the thing for you.

Naturally, we can’t pretend that changing a career and becoming your own boss is always going to be simple. There are going to be long hours and hard work ahead, as well as a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders.

But, while it may not all be plain sailing, you’ll always the one who’s at the helm and, for many of us, that would be priceless.