There are as many motivations for starting up in business as there are stars in the sky. My own business is a web design and build agency in Newcastle, but I guess this applies to any kind of company.
The reasons that crop up most often seem to be…
- "I'll make money quicker running my own business"
- "It's more satisfying than working for someone else"
- "It will give me freedom to work the way I want to work"
- "I'm tired of slaving to make someone else rich"
- "I'll never achieve my full potential as an employee"
- "I can take holidays whenever I like"
In my opinion, none of these are good reasons to start a business in isolation, though I do know a few die-hard corporate terminators who would certainly disagree with me!
It's a fact in business that the negatives quite often outweigh the positives, and any motivations along the lines of wealth, satisfaction and freedom will inevitably lead to disappointment.
"I'll make money quicker running my own business"
As the irrepressibly optimistic Del Boy Trotter taught us, get-rich-quick schemes are for dreamers and conmen. It takes blood, sweat and tears to make any real money working for yourself.
There are exceptions of course, who make an extraordinary amount of money in a very short period of time, but they are certainly not the norm. The wealth these people amass is often a by-product of some other higher purpose, and rarely the sole reason they got into business in the first place.
"It's more satisfying than working for someone else"
We derive satisfaction from the knowledge that we've done the very best we can with the resources available to us, and the feeling is massively amplified by any successes we enjoy as a result of our efforts. It all comes down to management and control.
As business owners, we are completely at the mercy of our customers, our suppliers, the very forces of nature and of course, blind luck. The satisfaction we gain from any project is entirely proportional to our ability to harness and manipulate these forces to our will.
All it takes is a stubborn client, an unreliable supplier, a bout of bird-flu or twelve monster projects landing all at once to quickly topple a well-balanced ecosystem - and nobody feels the erosion of satisfaction more than the person holding the reins!
"It will give me freedom to work the way I want to work"
As much as I wish this were true, the freedom to work the way we want to work is largely dependant on the same external forces as our feelings of satisfaction.
If a client insists that we work a certain way, or there just isn't enough time or money to do things the right way, then freedom quickly gives way to compromise.
Unfortunately, being the decision-maker doesn't make this any easier; Political and economic forces beyond our control ensure that we're rarely in a position to stubbornly stand our ground without risk.
"I'm tired of slaving to make someone else rich"
Being mercilessly exploited in order to pay for the boss's Lamborghini is a perfect reason to find a better employer. The best employers are the ones who share success appropriately with those who played their part in achieving it.
"I'll never achieve my full potential as an employee"
I've lost count of the number of web designers and developers I've interviewed over the years who felt they were being hampered by their employers, in order to support a production-line mentality that relied on everyone knowing their place.
This is another perfect reason to find a more suitable employer. The best companies are those who work to develop and nurture their team, both personally and professionally. How can a business grow and flourish if it's most valuable assets are being stunted in order to preserve hierarchy?
Thankfully, there are forward-thinking businesses who provide every opportunity for their employees to broaden their horizons. But personal development starts from within; The best an employer can do is to empower the individual to thrive, but the employee has to be driven to make it happen for themselves. Starting up in business shouldn't be seen as an easy shortcut to the top.
"I can take holidays whenever I like"
I had to resist the temptation to glibly type "LOL" at this one. There is an old saying "You have to make hay while the sun shines", and it's completely true. Running a business is seriously hard work, and if you want to be successful, it never stops.
For the first six years of self-employment, I never took a single holiday - in fact I barely had weekends to myself. Even now, with the support of a dedicated team of experienced web designers and developers, I come to the end of my year with holidays to spare. Such is the life of a business owner.
So why did I go into business for myself?
I've always been self-employed, and thinking about this has helped me to understand my own motivations behind starting up in business, and to keep me on-track as my web design agency matures and expands.
I started up in business because I wasn't impressed with the quality of work being peddled by existing North East web design agencies and knew that there was a smarter, more creative way of doing things.
The web is such an exciting place, and nobody seemed to be doing anything vaguely interesting with it. I felt quite strongly that we could deliver a far higher standard of work and provide better value for money, through deft design and technical creativity.
They might sound like a range of fragrances, but for me, Riff Raff is a product of obsession, karma and patience:
It's safe to say that I'm obsessed with precision. I'm a details guy, and probably one of the most thorough creative directors you'll ever meet (just ask my design team). I have extremely high standards, and get fidgety when I spend too long in my comfort zone. I'm a craftsman through and through, and shudder when I hear the words "that'll do"!
I've been around for long enough to know that business is like karma; If you approach your work with a spirit of generosity, your efforts will be repaid. I'm no tree-hugging liberal, but I am a naturally conscientious person. I like to help people, and I understand the profound effect a little of my expertise can have on my clients' businesses.
Finally, I believe wholeheartedly in Heinz's timeless slogan "Good things come to those who wait". It is often impatience and greed that cause us to compromise our morals in the pursuit of riches, so I've no interest in running the biggest, richest digital agency in the world; I just want to be the best.
Even now, there are precious few digital agencies who can offer this kind of culture, which is why I chose to start my own. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of your inspiration amongst the hustle and bustle of business life, and I hope that this thought process will help me to stay true to my original vision as our team continues to grow.
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