How To Be Your Own Boss: 10 Tips

Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs start businesses in the US each year, in part due to the fact that the country is actually ranked as one of the top places for being your own boss. It scores a 91.6 out of 100 from the World Bank in regards to ease of starting a business. So, you’ve got that working for you (on top of an economy that’s currently ripe for innovation).

Whether you’ve been side hustling for a while or are completely new to the big, bad world of entrepreneurship, you can be your own boss if you want to be. And, we’re here to help arm you with all of the tools and tips you need to be a successful business owner.

How to be your own boss (and be successful at it)

1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Embarking on any new journey requires that you have a community of supportive people around you, but this is especially true when it comes time to be your own boss and start a business. If your decision to start a business is going to affect others in your family or friend circle, talk to them about your decision beforehand and ensure that they’re all supportive of your endeavor. Or, think about getting a business mentor who has been in your shoes before.

2. ASSESS YOUR LEVEL OF PASSION

Being your own boss sounds sexy until you realize that, to make it work as an entrepreneur, you have to be ready to give 110% of yourself to your business. Before signing contracts, quitting your job, or purchasing business equipment, take a moment to assess your level of passion for your project. Are you willing to lose sleep, work weekends, and invest all of your time and money into this project? If not, it might not be the right time.

3. ANALYZE THE COMPETITION

If you’ve decided that you’re 100% in it to win it, go ahead and begin to analyze your competition. Start researching companies similar to yours and get to know their stories, struggles, and strategies. Analyze their strength and weaknesses and look for holes in the market that they’re not currently catering to; this is where you’ll enter the market and win with the right business model.

4. SET YOURSELF UP WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS

From marketing and productivity tools to accounting software and the right tech, you’ll need to arm yourself with all of the right tools and equipment if you want to succeed at being your own boss. This includes investing in a quality computer, perhaps a second business phone number, the right kind of wardrobe to make you feel like a boss, and office equipment if you’re setting up a physical business. Check out our comprehensive list of five tools you need to grow your business if you’re looking for more suggestions.

5. MAKE IT A POINT TO CONSTANTLY LEARN AND EVOLVE

Even as your own boss, it’s important to remain humble in a way that ensures you’ll never stop learning and evolving as an entrepreneur. Technology changes and trends change even faster, so make it a point to seek out workshops, books, mentors, and courses that’ll help you stay on top of changing trends in your industry. Any good entrepreneur knows that there’s always more to learn in order to stay on top.

6. KEEP DETAILED RECORDS OF EVERYTHING

Yes, we’re talking about receipts here, but we’re also talking about conversations, courses, download, etc. It’s likely that you’ll be downloading lots of resources and having tons of conversations with potential clients or collaborators. Make it a point from the beginning to keep detailed records of everything, whether that be in a separate hard drive or a different phone. If it helps, use a Burner phone number for any and all business communications so you have the messages and calls stored in a separate place to look back on.

7. FOCUS ON OFFERING SOMETHING OF VALUE

When creating your own business, it’s easy to get lost in the small details. It is, after all, your baby. When you’re feeling bogged down in this or that or keep encountering problems with tasks such as shipping logistics, email marketing, or website design, take a step back. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, “Does this affect the value I’m offering to my customers? Am I still focused on value?” You should always focus on offering something of value; if it doesn’t add value, don’t worry about it.

8. LEARN TO LOVE MAKING MISTAKES

So you want to be your own boss? Learn to love making mistakes. Most experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that this is a crucial component of making it work as a business owner. And, they’ve learned to love it. Why? Making mistakes means you’re learning! You’re 100% going to make a few mistakes, and when you do, laugh and relish in the joy of knowing that it means you’re trying, failing, learning, bettering, and dominating your business journey.

9. GET EVEN MORE ORGANIZED

At this point, it’ll be important to take a step back from everything and ensure that you’ve got everything you need to scale your business. If you’ve previously been focused on creating a website, setting up a business email, and developing your product or service, now is the time to look at what you have and organize it even more. Take time out to organize documents and a workflow in Google Drive or Asana. Find a good business accountant. Organize your office and files.

10. STAY BALANCED

Our final tip for being your own boss and succeeding is to always stay balanced. Sure, you need to be prepared to give 110% of yourself to this endeavor, but it’s also important to set aside time to enjoy your hobbies, friends, and family. Or, you know, just to get some rest.

If you’re finding it hard to strike a balanced between boss life and your personal life, you’ll definitely do well with a Burner phone number. Not only will it allow you to create a space optimized for work with integrations including Slack, Evernote, and Google, but at the end of a long day, you can turn on the Do Not Disturb feature and continue using your phone for other personal things.

Get your free second phone number today to try it out.