I Run My Own Business as a Communications Professional

Is self employment a valid option in today's challenging economy? A growing number of professionals may be adventurous enough to pursue the challenge of starting their own businesses.

My own journey through self employment began more than 20 years ago. I've never looked back.

What is my self-employed business niche?

As a career writer and editor, now self-employed, I pound out publications and columns of copy for print and online purposes.

Words are my livelihood. I produce verbage for corporate clients and communications agencies. I write for several websites on nearly unlimited topics.

How did my business evolve?

Graduating with an English major, I jumped into book and magazine publishing. Adding an advanced degree in Journalism, I climbed the corporate ladder in advertising and communications for several years before launching my own editorial enterprise. I began with existing professional contacts and branched out from there.

What are the benefits of running my own company?

Self employment is risky, particularly in the early stages, but the eventual benefits can be considerable. I enjoy the luxury of accepting or refusing assignments for all sorts of reasons. I set my own calendar. I face no commute, dress code or office politics.

However, my boss can be a taskmaster at times.

What have I learned through self employment?

Professional development and continuing education are a lifelong process. I am constantly reading and pursuing additional training to keep my skills and my conceptual resources current.

Even a one-person company needs professional back-up. I rely on a stable of contracted experts, including a seasoned accountant, a skilled investment manager and occasionally an attorney. These trusted folks have saved me much more than they have cost, regularly offering services and advice.

What do I wish I had known before starting my own business?

Motivated self-employed professionals face a true temptation towards a workaholic lifestyle. Purposeful limits, clear professional goals and personal organization prove essential.

I learned this the hard way.

What is the most important advice I would offer prospective self-employers?

Mind your own business. Seriously, that is not a snide remark. Focus is everything in self employment.

Pick your professional niche, and stick to it. Build a focused network that includes at least one mentor, several respected colleagues and a host of potential customers. And stick with it until it pays off.

Starting one's own business is not a simple answer to sudden unemployment. Instead, it may be a strategic launching point for a professional with skills or expertise to offer the appropriate marketplace.

Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.

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