One of the myths of working for yourself is that you no longer have a “boss.” That was certainly one of the positive motivators for me in starting my own business and “going solo”–I was ready to no longer have someone telling me what to do. Well, in fact, I traded in one boss for a dozen “bosses”–each of my clients–individuals, organizations and businesses I work for feels like a boss, so now I’m learning how to keep things organized and cordial and learn how to answer to a variety of bosses.
Years ago, a wise and experienced consultant told me that her clients generally expect they should be getting much more for the actual money they spend on her than is the true value of that compensation. She said her clients usually hired a consultant thinking they were going to get a “bargain” and not have the expense of hiring an employee. In fact, the consultant was far more qualified and experienced and may actually demand a higher price tag than hiring a staff member. Regardless, clients have a tendency to either treat consultants as staff members or expect the world for the smallest compensation they can pay. One of my ongoing challenges is to train my clients to understand our relationship, and what they get for what they’re willing to pay.
Sometimes, I feel similarly to how one of my daughters describes her high school homework dilemma–she says that each of the teachers gives homework as if they are the only one dispensing it, as if they don’t realize how much work she has to do from each of her other classes too. I spend a fair amount of time letting my clients know that if they have retained 10 hours of my time a month, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have access to me night and day. One of the challenges of being on our own means setting the boundaries and expectations, while still keeping our clients happy and producing valuable work.
Juggling jobs and bosses is just one of those realities of being in business for oneself. Business owners have been doing it forever, but it definitely takes some getting used to and developing some new tact and firmness skills. I no longer tell people that being in business for yourself means not having to answer to a boss–I don’t want to be part of perpetuating the myth!