Top Mistakes Of The Self-Employed

© Georgie Johnson

I was 23 when I started my first officially registered business as a wedding and event planner. I operated it for a year and I made zero; that’s nothing, not one paying gig. The problem was I opened the business before I knew how to operate a business. I didn’t take the time to look before I leapt into self-employment. Wedding and event planning was one of a number of different business ideas I tried before I found my current success in self-employment.


Next I became self-employed as an independent consultant of a leading direct sales giftware company. It was the type of business based on home parties and corporate support; I was sort of like a franchisee. Everything I needed to operate my business was handed to me in a neat little kit with bi-weekly training meetings with other independent consultants. I was a recruiting machine and grew a large team, but consistently was the lowest earner of the bunch. What was my problem?


I have my suspicions of where I went wrong. Take a look at this interesting article on the top 50 mistakes entrepreneurs make. http://business.financialpost.com/2012/02/13/fifty-ways-to-screw-up-your-business. Which one are you most guilty of?


Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.