Jane and Harriet are a year into Trapeze HR. Much is written about the advantages and disadvantages of working for yourself and they now share whether they miss anything about working for someone else and the best part of being their own boss. 
Jane: I miss absolutely nothing about working for a large global business! I enjoyed it hugely at the time but when I weigh up the balance I have now, against the constraints and parameters of a 9-5 job and the hideous commute, I wouldn’t switch back. 
 
Harriet: I don’t miss what I thought I’d miss so far. Being just the two of us was strange at first, but we are part of a strong co-working community which fills the gaps. I do miss the infrastructure that comes with being part of something more established. Having said that, on the whole I’ve relished learning new skills. 
 
Jane: I love the freedom and autonomy and being able to make decisions that sit comfortably with our values and standards; about how to operate as our best recruiter selves, each day. We set our own agenda and are agile enough to be able to make changes, if things need fine tuning. 
 
Harriet: I love working for our business. It’s liberating and drives me to try out new things. It takes me out of my comfort zone. I am not a risk taker by any means, but having reached my forties, I felt I needed to try something different and challenge myself. We can now work how we want, the freedom and flexibility are ‘ours’ for the taking. We can work with our values at the heart of all we do. 
 
Having taken the plunge and moved away from the 9-5 to achieve greater flexibility, here is the advice that Jane and Harriet give to those thinking about using their corporate career and translating it into self-employment. 
 
Jane: My advice would be, don’t be afraid to rip up the rule book and do things completely differently and try new things – it’s a little daunting at first but everything is doable, there are many ways to achieve an objective. Have courage and try to envisage the long-term picture of what success (even if in a small form) will look like and you won’t look back. 
 
Harriet: Go for it! It’s a cliché and has been said many times before but unless you try, you really won’t know if it suits you. There will always be a corporate job around the corner if it doesn’t work out. Do your research and if you are passionate enough, I believe it will work. 
 
Please enter your email address in the box below if you’d like to hear more about upcoming webinars. 
Share this post: