Weigh the differences. Did you really go into business to be self-employed?

About being self-employed! When you're self-employed, you do "ALL the work," of course, AND you're also "the boss," so you do the marketing, the sales, the book keeping, and everything else ________! The self-employed have done one thing - created a paycheck for themselves along with some extra deductions. They went from working for a company to working for themselves AND they have a new job - that of boss. Most are slaves to their business because they have no one working for or with them. Every time they gain a new client, they reinvent the wheel because they have no systems.

And.. the self-employed can't take days off, let alone take a vacation! The words they use - often and to anyone who will listen - are "overwhelmed," "tired," and "have no time for that." (For more on the differences between being self-employed vs. being a business owner, read the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" book by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter).

Go All The Way - To Business Owner! Business owners, on the other hand, are giving themselves the gift of time and others the gift of a paycheck. They learn the importance of planning for their business. They monitor their marketing activities. They know exactly who their ideal client is and what is unique about themselves and their businesses. They run their business like the "big corporate boys" but without all the hassle - or lawsuits! Now if you've been in business for a while, you might think that you're no longer self-employed or running a hobby. Beware. The amount of time you spend working does not mean much. In 6 years, only 2 of more than 100 clients were really "running" in business when they hired me; the rest had a business stuck in "infancy."

Today, take steps to start the shift to being a full-fledged business owner. Hire people to help you do the things you don't enjoy doing - barter, if that's what you need to do. Create a business and marketing plan, and monitor your marketing activities. Find alliances to bring in extra income, network (at least 2 times a week), create your ideal client profile and then only market to your ideal client. Take your knowledge and package it. Turn it into classes, articles, CDs, etc. that will bring you extra income and notoriety - the "good" kind! Know what your "rack rate" is and stop giving away your time/business.

If you really take a good look at the list below, you will see that there is NO WAY you can do everything yourself.

Your BIG roles as a business owner include:

President/CEO Salesperson Purchasing Manager Office Manager Technology Specialist Internet Guru Human Services Manager Marketing Director Accounting/Finance Manager Compliance/Legal Manager Desktop Publisher/Designer Customer Service Rep Inventory Person Quality Control Manager Consultant Coach - Mentor Organizer Trainer Writer Janitor Assistant to you At a minimum, assistants to all the managers/specialists above

And if you can't yet afford to hire consultants or employees to help you, then create a plan to do so!