6 Roles and responsibilities of being self - employment

 6  Roles and responsibilities of being self - employment

 

In order to survive and thrive on your own, you must carry out six basic functions. But to get going and stay afloat, you will be called upon to carry out all six of these roles adequately and consistently whenever circumstances demand. And while and organization can recruit different individuals who shine at performing these different functions, when you are self – employed, you will probably have to do them all yourself – at least in the beginning.

 

If you are like most people, when you set out on your own, you are probably good or even masterful at some of these essential functions, but less good and even poor at others. Some you can do with your eyes closed standing on foot. Others may leave you cold, feeling inadequate, or wishing you could have a root canal instead. As we describe these six functions and list the types of activities they involve, assess your strengths and weakness, preferences and natural proclivities. As you read through them:

 

Assessing your ability to perform essential self – employment roles

 

1. Creating. In any operation, someone has to create the products and services that will be provided to clients and customers. Of course, some independent careers are creative by nature. A sculptor, screenwriter, or novelist, for example, gets paid to create. It is their core functions. But on one’s own, not only must be artist do the other five functions, whatever your core function is, you too must be the creator, the visionary who conceives of what you will be offering and how to make it appealing and valuable to those who need and pay for it. So, you will be called upon to perform activities, like these:

 

·        Imaging

·        Innovating

·        Performing

·        Designing

·        Envisioning

·        Perceiving

 

2. Problem solving. In any venture, someone must figure out how to solve the inevitable problems involved in establishing an independent career like getting business, pleasing your clients and customers, and running your office effectively. Some independent careers – such as consultant, private investigator, technical writer, information broker, or software developer – are basically about problem solving. Solving problem is what they get paid to do. It is their core function. But whatever the core function of what you do is, on your own, you, too, will need to engage at times in problem – solving activities such as:

 

·        Analyzing

·        Observing

·        Defining

·        Diagnosing

·        Investigating

·        Evaluating

 

 

3. Building. Every independent career requires that someone roll up his or her sleeves and do the hands – on work that gets and keeps things running. Some independent careers like construction, commercial cleaning services, swimming pool maintenance, computer repair services, and hauling services get paid to carry out such tasks. It is their core function. But whatever your independent career, from time to time, you, too, will have to engage in such activities as:

 

·        Assembling

·        Repairing or cleaning

·        Maintaining

·        Computing

·        Constructing

·        Transporting, shipping and packing

 

4. Organizing. Every operation needs someone to set up procedures, follow through, and carry out the day – to – day administrative tasks of operating as a business. People who have independent careers like professional organizers, indexers, medical claims processors, word – processors, or bookkeepers get paid to carry out such functions. Getting and keeping things organized is their core function. But on your own, whatever the core of  your work, you, too, need to deal with the data, numbers, files, and other administrative details involved in the financial, clerical, and legal aspects of your work. So; at times, you need to carry out such activities as:

 

·        Arranging

·        Gathering

·        Recording

·        Compiling and tracking

·        Ordering

·        Filing

 

5. Leading. In order to survive and thrive, any independent operation needs someone to oversee, coordinate, manage, market, sell, and promote its products or services. In many self – employment careers like event planner, tour guide, public – relation specialist, manufacturer’s rep, and seminar leader, such activities are the core function. That’s what they get paid to do. But all of us who are on our own must carry out these activities at various times in order to run our career as a business. So you will need to engage in such activities are:

 

·        Coordinating

·        Negotiating

·        Marketing

·        Selling and promoting

·        Managing

·        Influencing and persuading

 

6. Improving. In any operation, someone has to work personally with the customers and clients, listen to their needs, satisfy their complaints, and identify where improvement need to be made. These kinds of interactions lead to the new and improved products and services that keep people coming back to you again and again. People in some professions – like counseling, tutoring, errand services, and massage therapy – get sufficiently involved with serving your clients and customers to develop enough rapport and trust that they will want to continue doing business with you. So, at times, you will undoubtedly find yourself doing such things as:

 

·        Listening

·        Consulting

·        Teaching

·        Caring

·        Explaining

·        Helping

 

Chances are, as you assess your performances of and preferences for these six essential functions, you are fairly good, if not masterful, at your core function. If not, you will need to sharpen your skills so people will believe in your abilities enough to want to pay you. But sometimes, although we are able to provide this function quite adequately for our clients and customers, we’re not so good at doing it for ourselves. We find many people are like the cobbler whose children have no shoes. They neglect doing for themselves what they can do so well for others. A marketing specialist, for example, may have problems getting around to marketing his own services. Or a professional organizer may get behind on doing her own filing.

 

If that’s your situation, in order to survive and thrive, one of your key roles as your own mentor and coach will be to teach yourself how to start doing as good a job for yourself as you do for your clients.

 

Chances are you also found that you enjoy, or at least like, carrying out the activities associated with your core function. If not, we urge you to shift your line of work, because trying to manage yourself when you dislike your work is a difficult task.

By

 Sarah and Paul Edwards.