UNITED STATES—This feels like this is happening more and more and it has surprised me, but at the same time not so much. I know so many friends and family members who quit their jobs. A lot of this transpired during what I call the ‘Pandemic Days.’ The Coronavirus Pandemic did force a lot of people to think about their lives and career and what trajectory they were on and where they wanted to go.
I know people who just refuse with every single fiber in their body to work for another person. They have a belief that they don’t want to do a 9-5 where they have to get up and slave for another person to load their pockets and not see any actual benefit to their livelihood. Yes, you get a paycheck, but the paycheck you receive compared to what some of these bosses and companies make is breadcrumbs, unfortunately.
One of the biggest things you saw so many Americans do is start podcasts or utilize social media as a way to develop another source of revenue. I literally can do a column or two about the world of podcasting and how it has just exploded from 2020 and onward. If you have a microphone, a computer, smartphone or tablet and the internet, and you like to talk, you can start your own podcast. There is indeed money in it and a lot of people are making loads because they launched their own podcast and companies are willing to pay them to advertise or promote their products.
With that said, not all Americans went into the podcast arena, some started their own business ventures. Something they had been passionate about, but never had the time to invest in because they were working their day job so much, shifted that mantra to the thing that actually mattered and it became a business. For many, profitable, others, they are still struggling to make it happen, but the struggle now is that they are doing something that benefits them fully in the aspirations they want to accomplish.
My sister recently had this unfold where, she quit her job and found something better and now she is in the process of launching a potential clothing brand, with a catchy slogan/brand, by the way. One that I’m not willing to disclose for personal reasons. So it does raise the question of whether we could see an epic boom where there are more individuals shifting from the 9 to 5 mantra and focusing their energies on launching and starting their own business.
It is not easy to start your own business. You need a business plan, you need a concept, you have to think about overhead costs, you have to think about staff and employees, you have to think about expenses, and more than anything you have to market yourself in a way that makes you stand out from others that are out there. In laymen’s terms, “Why is your product and/or service worth my money.” Not many entrepreneurs can explain that in a nice little bow that makes the consumer say, “Yes, I love that and here you go take my money.”
Yes, I am indeed a firm believer that options are always better for the consumer. The more options you have the better it is for the overall growth of the economy because it prevents a single company from dictating prices for certain goods and services. Yeah, sorry looking at you Amazon because the American public’s desire to just not get up and go into a store is leading to more and more and more businesses to shutter their doors which means a loss of jobs and options.
I fear the day we are in a time where you can no longer go into an establishment to purchase particular goods. So I hope to continue to see people launch businesses with products and services that we need and things that we didn’t know we needed that we soon learn have epic impacts on our lives. I do hear the common argument so many people become their own boss because they feel undervalued at their place of employment.
They are not seen or what they contribute is overlooked by those who do little to nothing or suck up to the boss. Yes, you have those at all companies. The unfortunate side effect is once a person has a taste of a certain level of independence that puts them in the driver seat it raises the question, “Why would I want to go back when I can control my destiny?” Yeah, it can be very tempting, but just a reminder if you are planning to launch a business or become your own boss, have a plan because it is no easy feat.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
