Bad Hair Days: Wearing Many Entrepreneurial Hats

By Stephanie Clark.

Just this morning I complained to my hairdresser about my wild hair. Curls compete with waves and the end result is helter-skelter. I think that I will blame my job: as an entrepreneur, I wear many different hats, each and every day! I land sales, fulfill administrative duties, conduct marketing exercises,  strategize resume copy, pen career-related articles, challenge myself to create vibrant cover letters, reply to countless emails, and keep my eyes open for new opportunities to promote my business … so that I can keep doing more of the above!

Self-employment is a popular choice with career practitioners. After all, we choose our own hours, make our own decisions, take additional training as we see fit, and are the masters and mistresses of our own destiny. But, those hours are very long, often including weekends; the consequences of our decisions can set our business back a notch instead of propelling it forward; we scramble to make time for training as it cuts into time spent earning a few extra dollars; and our destiny? Well, we seem destined to work long hours for pay that is sometimes difficult to justify to the cash-strapped job hunters whom we serve.

I have to admit that I have occasionally been tempted by the regular hours, pay and benefits and narrower scope of responsibilities of corporate employment. So far I have ignored the temptation. My clients need me! They appreciate my help and I enjoy being of service. If you are thinking of joining the ranks of self-employed career practitioners, remember this: keep your focus on serving your clients’ needs, and your rewards will be plentiful.

Yes, all those hats wreak havoc on my hairstyle; good thing I left my vanity behind years ago!