It’s bitter, cold January. With the snow melting just in time for another record storm, and the wind chill making it nearly impossible to ever remember what summer felt like.
There is one thing that can act as a ray of sunlight through the dark, freezing clouds of winter: graduation.
College and high school seniors are preparing for one of the biggest milestones of their lives. Graduating from high school is just a taste into adulthood, as these youngsters prepare for their last summer of freedom before college. However, the college graduates are looking forward to quite a bit different summer: job searching. If you haven’t already applied for jobs, the experience is about to become a full-time job. (sadly, without the pay)
You have a few options: apply for jobs, go to grad school or start your own business. Now depending on what type of degree you and your life goals would depend on which path you would take. But for many entrepreneurial minds, starting their own business is the only way to go.
Being self employed has a lot of benefits. First, you get to be your own boss. You won’t come into work and have someone tell you what to do; that is your job to decide what to do on a day-to-day basis. On the flip side, it is up to you to create new ideas to make your business successful.
Another benefit of becoming self employed is you get to make your own schedule. Whatever hours work for you, you can work as little or as much as you want; depending on how much work is required and how much money you want to make.
But one of the most important benefits is the money. (Yes, it always comes back to the money.) Without someone over you, the majority of your profits go to you, that is, after you pay off debts and any employees you have hired. Instead of getting a cut of the profits determined by your boss, you get to make those decisions.
Those who are self employed also can receive serious tax breaks with many of your activities eligible for a tax deduction like mileage, etc.
With the good, there is always the bad. Being self employed has its challenges. While it is nice to be the one signing the pay checks, the first year or so of being self employed can yield little or no results. It is not uncommon for some small businesses to fold within that first year. While this might not be the fate of all businesses, it is a reality.
You do not receive a lot of the benefits you would receive if you were employed by a company. Health insurance is absolutely important to have whether you get it through your employer or not. Self employed health insurance might be trickier to find, but you can find a wider variety of options that can fit your insurance needs.