Being your own boss is the ultimate career goal for many professionals. Understandably so, as it’s tempting to want to make your own decisions, set your own schedule, and answer only to yourself. However, too many people resign themselves to the idea that such a goal is unattainable, which simply isn’t true.
Owning your own business or working for yourself is entirely possible for anybody. However, there are certain tips and tricks that can make becoming your own boss just that much easier. The best way to ensure you can work for yourself one day is to join a career where this is a decided possibility. Some jobs are markedly easier in this respect than others. Here are some top reasons why skilled trades are the perfect path to running your own business.
SKILLED TRADES ARE EASILY MARKETABLE
One of the most difficult aspects of starting and running your own business is communicating your services to those who are seeking them. For white-collar workers, this often includes pitching tricky or confusing concepts or writing out pages of lengthy information.
Aspiring white-collar entrepreneurs who consider starting their own businesses are often faced with a lengthy battle against communication. Trying to get clients or other businesses to actually understand what they’re selling is no easy feat. However, for blue-collar careers, this, fortunately, isn’t the case.
A plumber is a plumber, and an electrician is an electrician. If a client needs their pipes mended or their heating fixed, they know who to call. There’s no struggle in communicating your services or explaining exactly what it is that you do. Not to mention, once you solve their problem, they will see immediate results and request your services time and again.
IT’S MUCH EASIER TO GAIN A REPUTATION
Skilled trades are naturally social. They automatically require interactions with other people and within the community. Not only does this keep the job interesting, but it also lends itself to rapid business growth. The social aspect of blue-collar work functions as an easy form of promotion and marketing that requires significantly less effort than a white-collar business.
Just by interacting with the people you are working for and with, and doing a good job, you’re gaining a reputation and spreading the word about your business. Most people like to have a go-to, reliable tradesperson for their needs. So, if you excel and work hard, you’re likely to land clients for life.
YOU’RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN DEMAND
Skilled trades and blue-collar work tend to stand the test of time significantly better than their white-collar counterparts. They’re relatively recession-proof, and no matter what’s going on, blue-collar workers are going to find themselves in demand. There’s nothing worst than investing time, effort, and money into starting a business, only to have it dissolve because of a poor economy.
Unfortunately, it tends to be the white-collar employees that suffer from unstable careers or risk getting laid off at the downturn of the economy. However, even despite improving technology or economic recessions, most blue-collar careers stay consistently in demand. This is certainly good news if you’re looking to start a business that will be both successful and provide long-term job security.
YOU CAN START SMALL AND GO FROM THERE
You can start a blue-collar business with just you, yourself, and your skills. It’s true, you really don’t need anyone else in the first stages of a skilled trade startup. Sure, you might need to invest in a vehicle or tools, but other than that, there’s significantly less to put into a trade business than a white-collar one. Once you have put the effort into perfecting your chosen skilled trade, the world is your oyster. You can pretty much rely solely on your own experience in the industry and morph that into a budding business.
If you’re successful, you can then easily build on the core you have created. Hiring apprentices or other workers to expand your blue-collar company can be the natural next step. Similarly, if you find yourself happy to chug along working solo and reaping all the benefits yourself, there’s no pressure to expand or hire others.
When it comes to being your own boss, the most important thing is to believe that you can. Most people give up before they have ever even tried! It will take some hard work and self-discipline, but it’s entirely possible. Skilled trades can be mastered by almost anyone, as long as you’re dedicated enough to develop your own skills and work hard towards the ultimate goal. When it comes to being your own boss, there’s no better career path choice than a blue-collar one.