What are the benefits of being your own boss?
My business reached its 15-year milestone this year (2025). What began as some initial freelance work following a relocation to the Midlands, has built into a stable business which has allowed me to combine challenging and interesting work while parenting two children. In the blink of an eye, the children are adults and suddenly I’ve been my own boss longer than I was an employee (just).
I've met a few people this year who are either considering or have just made the decision to set up their own business and have asked for my views on what it's like to be an independent consultant. Everyone has their own reasons for going it alone – or choosing not to – but here's my take on the benefits of running your own business:
1. Setting your own style
Setting up on your own means developing your own brand personality and working style based on what matters to you and the type of service you want to offer. In my case, client service has always been a priority. I enjoy being agile and responsive and feeling part of my clients’ extended teams. It’s made for a really varied and rewarding working life. I’ve also chosen to build my business through organic growth and client referrals which is why you won’t see much of me on social media. This approach doesn’t always sit well with advice that wants you to be more commercial in outlook and sales driven, but it works for me.
2. Finding clients that fit
OK so none of us have complete control over who we work with, but I have been able to decide which sectors I want to work in, and which types of organisations are a good fit, whether that’s in terms of size, geography, or values. When I first started, I found myself saying yes to every opportunity, which saw me doing everything from equestrian PR to local food and retail marketing! Being able to pick and choose gets easier as you become more established, and most of my work is now for organisations in the public and private sectors, predominantly in health, technology, consumer protection, and professional services.
3. Working to your own schedule
I’m grateful for the flexibility I have to create my own schedule and flex according to demands. I can’t claim to have nailed the work-life balance, and there have been plenty of long days and late nights, but I was able to be at the school gate when my kids were small. Life is demanding – flexibility makes it more manageable, whatever pressures you face.
4. Building a brilliant team
Working for yourself can get lonely, but I’ve been lucky enough to work with some brilliant associates over the years that have really made me feel part of a team. Some are people I work with all the time, others come and go depending on projects, but working together has enabled us all to get involved in broader projects and share ideas (and frustrations!) Local and sector-specific networking can really help you establish connections and find out who you might be able to collaborate with.
5. Learning new skills…and when to delegate
Being a solopreneur means doing a bit of everything. Alongside being a PR and communications consultant, I’ve been my own marketing, design, finance, tech support and HR departments at various times, and built up greater knowledge and awareness of responsibilities, tools and useful systems as we result. There are lots of useful resources out there to help micro-businesses – and the likes of ChatGPT, Copilot and other AI tools are starting to make this easier.
Although some self-sufficiency is great, doing everything yourself can be a false economy. By bringing in experts where needed, I’ve benefited from quality support while having more time to devote to my clients. Just because we can access accounting tools or design software, doesn’t necessarily mean business owners are always best qualified for the task!
6. Supporting causes that matter
No matter how small the business, we can all do something to contribute to our communities. I’ve had the freedom to choose who to support, when and why. Most of this has been in the form of donations to local charities or those with whom I have a connection. More recently, I’ve invested in Carbon Literacy training and supporting regenerative environmental causes. These may be modest moves but together, micro businesses can have a monumental impact.
But it's not all freedom and flexibility
There are downsides, of course. It can be uncertain, there’s no financial support for holidays or sickness, working on your own too much can get a bit lonely, and there’s no one to pick up your tasks if you take time off – it’s all still there waiting for you when you get back.
I wouldn’t change the 15 years I spent being an employee – the skills and experience I gained has laid the foundations for everything I have done since. But being my own boss is, on the whole, brilliant, and not something I’m planning to change any time soon.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in business today?