Richard Maun

Author: admin

  • Self Employment Is A Proper Job

    A proud fox cub. You can be proud too.

    I was working with a client last week who was starting out on their self-employed life and they kept referring to ‘when they had a proper job’ and that being self employed ‘wasn’t like having a proper job.’

    (I’ve heard this phrase used a lot by people who run their own business, or by possibly jealous friends who would probably like to work for themselves and who don’t yet have the motivation or need to do so).

    I beg to differ and I gently corrected them that if that really was their attitude then they were in for a shock.

    In our modern career it’s a fair chance that we will be involved in a variety of working patterns whether as an employee, a free-lance, a consultant, an intern or as manager of our own business. The one thing that all of these have in common is that they are all proper jobs, worthy of respect from ourselves and our peers. All of them involve risk and reward, we all have to account for stakeholder needs and we all have to work hard and deliver the goods in order to get paid.

    So, therefore, if you’re thinking of working for yourself, or already do so, remember that this is a proper job and one to be proud of.

    And, I would add, that if working a 7-week sometimes, having to manage 100% of the risk and reward, making time to win clients, deliver work, complete admin, raise invoices, collect money and have no paid holidays isn’t a proper job, then I don’t know what is.

    Stand up and be proud. A modern career has many facets and they’re all worthwhile.

  • This Is How I Earn My Living

    Look into the cute puppy's eyes …then remember that it's Ok to value your skill!

    The message here is that it’s Ok to want money, it’s Ok to ask for money and it’s Ok to value yourself. I was chatting with a chum over coffee and cake this week and we were discussing how some professions suffer from what I call the Can I just pick your brain Mate syndrome.

    What this means is that if you sell specialist knowledge some people can think it’s perfectly ok to help themselves to 20 years of training and work experience, exams, heartache and learning that you have put yourself through to get to this point, by assuming that you’ll happily give them expertise for free. I used to fall foul of this when I was first working as a business coach.

    I’d have a ‘getting to know you chat’ with a networking colleague, who would run some tricky business questions past me and invite my thoughts. Being greener than an Irish meadow I of course gave them the benefit of my wisdom, much to their satisfaction. Then when I suggested they might like to consider some paid for organisational development work they’d say:

    ‘Oh no need thanks, you’ve answered my questions now.’

    Grrrr! How annoying.

    Just because someone has an intangible skill such as business coaching, psychology, marketing, finance and so on doesn’t mean that ‘brain work’ is free work! After Christmas I was talking with a potential client and said that I would like to value my time, as I have kids to feed …because improving organisations is how I earn my living. There was a pause, whilst they thought about it, so I filled the gap with:

    ‘Would you expect to walk into your local café and help yourself to a pasty, just because you were hungry?’

    ‘Or do you just take a newspaper from your local corner shop and say that as it’s only worth 50p, it doesn’t really matter, as you walk out?’

    Of course you wouldn’t!

    So therefore, if I choose to value my time, please respect that it’s how I put food on the table for my children. If I choose to give you a gift then that’s me being generous, but the choice is mine. I’m happy to give gifts and I’m happy to value my time, as I’m good at what I do and worth the fee rate.

    If you find it hard to ask for money, then look your client in the eye and simply state:

    ‘This is how I earn my living.’

    We’re all allowed to earn money and use the skills we have, and asking to be paid is part of the job. Just ask your local taxi driver, the next time you get a lift home – he won’t hesitate to ask for money.