The Grass Is NOT Greener Over There
Yesterday, I ran across an ad for a job in my Facebook stream. Pretty much everything about the position appealed to me, and I spent several minutes reading the posting and thinking about who I knew at the organization and comparing my experience
image courtesy sarniebill1 via flickr.com
with the qualifications listed. Then I just sat there feeling conflicted. This has happened a few times in the recent past.
I’ve said several times that I don’t want another full time job. I love writing, working from home and having the ability to be choosy about my who I work with. There’s no dress code and no schedule, I don’t have a commute, and I get to play with my dogs or dig in the garden whenever I need a break. So, why would a job opening raise such turmoil?
At least a couple of my clients have struggled with the same question. Would a position with a company give me some stability while I continue to build a business? Could I still do a good job of running a business while working somewhere else? Should I be thinking about winding my business down and start looking for a full time position? These are the questions that haunt my darkest professional moments.
For me, so far, the answer to all of those questions has been no, and for a long and varied list of reasons, not the least of which is that I know the grass is NOT greener anywhere else. I’ve never had a job that I enjoyed as much as I have enjoyed Smiling Tree Writing. That doesn’t mean that there are not hassles and aggravations, but for the most part they are small, and overshadowed by the good stuff.
If you are a business owner, do you ever contemplate taking on another job, either part time or full time? Even if you don’t seriously consider it, do you indulge in fantasies about working in an office, and watching those lovely, regular paychecks flow into your bank account?
I’ve actually just recently said yes to a ‘job’ working for another boutique.
Main reason was for the extra cash flow, but I knew it would interfere not only with my own plans, but my time restrictions as well. I went in with the idea that it would be only temporary and possibly still is, but also with plans to find help along the way. Sorta like a push to hire more help so I can get that new work done, along with my own, that way I can get my business to the place I want it to be…yeah, so I’m using it as a stepping stone basically.
Just the turmoil of upholding the new job on my own until I get that extra relief from hiring out. But it keeps me more determined to do what I have to do until it gets to that point. In the end, I hope this gives my own biz the push it needs.
Luckily it’s still a work at home job, even though the house gets neglected until the new orders are finished. I’m not in a situation where I could work outside the home right now.
Jennifer – I can see how working for someone else would spur you to do more in your own business and serve as a stepping stone. And, I’ll be the first to admit that my house gets neglected regardless of the situation. I’m a terrible housekeeper! Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Every day, especially in the off season, I seem to ask myself should I be working a job in addition to Purely Poultry. But there is always more work to do that could potentially make my business more profitable. Last year I worked 50 to 75 hours a week from september to december and hated it so much. Each day after working I would then come home and work my business and only spend an hour with my wife and son. It was terrible but we made it work for a little while. I was the garbage man so I was there doing absolutely nothing 95 percent of the day. If they would have allowed me to have a laptop and a headset and internet I would have been able to run my business all day long from the garbage room, and would have probably done a better job at it from the garbage room than I do now from my home office.
Tyler – you hit the crux of the matter right off. Every time I think about applying for another position, I think of about 10,000 ways I could use the time I’d be at work to make Smiling Tree more profitable. At my last job, thoughts about what I could be doing for my own business filled my head all day, making the blank I draw now that I have more time that much more noticeable. Glad it’s not just me!
Spot on, Dava. Who among us has not poured over the want ads and furtively looked at the jobs page of acquaintances companies? What I find most alluring about a “regular” job is not the regular paychecks (although those would be lovely), but the promise of an insistent schedule, a list of “have-tos” instead of “shoulds”. Then I receive a phone call from a panicked bride who just needs to hear that everything will be perfectly fine or my precocious 4 year old who needs a hug right NOW, and I am reminded of how wonderful it is to be present and available. Is the income less? Is the schedule erratic? Yes and yes. But, oh my… what a wonderful self-employed world.
Faires – Until reading your comment, I hadn’t thought about how nice an “insistent schedule” can be. In fact, that has always been something I disliked about a “regular” job, but now I think there are advantages to it. You KNOW what/when/where and there’s no question because it is, indeed, insistent. Thanks for reading and leaving such a lovely, insightful comment!
I worked in the television industry for long enough to know that my “dream” job was no fantasy. Not even a picnic. I’d never anticipated running my own business, but after 10 years, I realize that my potential for success (however I define it) is greater when the building blocks are always in my own control.
There’s no shame in closing up shop and taking a non-entrepreneurial job, just like there’s no shame in ending a relationship that’s not working (after you’ve given it your best efforts). But coming to the right decision (in both cases) involves weighing all the pros and cons. What are the benefits of working for someone else? Dependable benefits and a regular schedule are nice, but you can’t control with whom you work (i.e., co-workers, superiors, clients) and you can’t, generally, control your hours or means of interaction. Policies are set by others, and you have to abide by them, even if you don’t agree with them. My job security was dependent not on how hard *I* worked, but on how high the ratings for any given show were (including network programming, over which I had no control).
It’s not just about money, or job satisfaction, per se, but about your ability to move towards your life goals. I was a workaholic when I was in television, giving 110%, but eventually realized that nobody cared. I realized that doing a good (or even stellar) job isn’t enough if you don’t feel appreciated. (I once left one job and they ended up hiring two people to cover the work I did…I’ll admit, that made me feel retroactively appreciated!)
Stability vs. fulfillment — it’s a challenging dilemma and each person can only answer for him or herself. I know that once I’d run my business six months, I completely ceased entertaining the idea of working for someone else because I knew that my career satisfaction was central to my life satisfaction. Perhaps if I had a spouse and kids whom I had to support, my priorities would be more complex and perhaps different, but for me, they’ll pry my Schedule C from my cold, dead hands.
(I will admit, someone sheepishly, however, that I still fantasize about being Anderson Cooper’s professional organizer. I just know he would be an ideal client.)
Julie – The very fact that I was thinking about applying for a j.o.b. gave me pause. Like you, I knew within a relatively short time that I vastly preferred working for myself to working for someone else, but have let shiny, pretty ads catch my eye a couple of times lately. Also like you, I LOVE having control and knowing that it’s all up to me. Plus, I don’t really believe that working for someone else (in the traditional way) equals stability. So the question is: why do these openings grab my attention? It must be the grass-is-greener syndrome. Giving the matter any serious sort of thought leads me right back to my own web site, beautiful client roster and marketing materials – where I am thrilled to be.
Dava, I think the classified ads appeal for the same reasons that when we see commercials or informercials for products, even products we KNOW don’t work, we sometimes still want them. I know those Boots #7 Protect and Perfect lotions don’t do a darn thing to reduce my wrinkle, but I stop and read the ads every time I see them. Think of the classifieds advertising the career equivalent of wrinkle removers: all glossy promise but very little bearing on reality.
Julie – Brilliant!
You hit the nail on the head. I will now think of wrinkle remover every time I see a job offer for flipping burgers or delivering pizzas.
But what about job offers for an aviculturist at an aviary? Or a hatchery manager?
Or a pen Manager position http://www.pheasant.com/ContactUs/Employment/tabid/91/Default.aspx I know i know, the grass isn’t greener, but it would probably pay the bills. Right now i have potential to make or lose money.