Becoming Your Own Boss: The Paths to Self-Employment

Becoming your own boss is a dream that many have. Whether it is running your own business or working as a consultant, being your own boss is something that many in marketing and communications ultimately want for their careers.

The best part about this career goal? There is no set way to get there.

The hard part about this career goal? There is no set way to get there.

In last week’s Integrate Online session, we talked to some IMC alum about their paths to self-employment and industry experts about some of the resources out there for people looking to become self-employed.

Paths to Self-Employment

There are so many options to becoming self-employed, and sometimes paths change as you begin to navigate becoming your own boss. From an agency to a consultant, the journey looks different for everyone, but there are some key differences between these two popular routes.

Agency

Jesef Williams, IMC Alum, runs his own business with Spectacular Vernacular, an agency that offers professional storytelling, copywriting, editing and promotional services. He just launched his business this year — it had a soft opening in April and has been fully operational since August — but he’s been planning for this since early 2021.

One of the things Jesef says is key to laying the foundation to start your own business like an agency is making sure you have credit you can leverage to help overcome the financial barrier of starting your own business.

Another key part of Jesef’s plan for his business and business partnerships are that they are founded in common purpose.

“I was on the hunt for those creatives that I could partner with who would really help me actualize this rich asset that I imagined. Sometimes schedules don't match up, sometimes creative vision doesn't match up, sometimes the work ethic doesn't match up, you know?” Jesef said. “So it's a journey to make sure you find those folks who truly align with what you're trying to manifest.”

Consultancy

Krissy Bodnovich, IMC alum, is a seasoned social media consultant that focuses on helping businesses in West Virginia grow their online reach. For Krissy, she’s a one-woman team, so her path and methodology to becoming her own boss looks a bit different.

For starters, Krissy runs her business on her own, so the barriers of renovating an office space and creating physical branding weren’t much of a concern. Where she found difficulties in her path were the intangibles of her business like her business name, her mission, etc. It was easy to put off the task of creating her business when she didn’t have a name or logo yet. Soon, Krissy realized it was her skills and personality that would create her brand — not a logo or color palette.

Armed with a laptop and wifi, Krissy launched her website and hasn’t looked back. While clients started to roll in, Krissy had found it hard to use word of mouth advertising for her business because she was nervous to tell people what she was doing. Once she got over it, referrals started pouring in.

The fear of failure is one of the number one things stopping people from starting their own business according to entrepreneurship expert Tara St. Clair. One of the first steps in eliminating this fear is separating your personal identity from that of your business and to reframe what you consider a failure. Failure is often the best teaching tool.

Resources

Tara St. Clair, Program Director at the Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at WVU, moderated the discussion and provided great insight into some of the resources available for entrepreneurs and people looking to take that leap toward self-employment.

West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

The mission of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is to connect and identify opportunities to help entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state by fostering collaboration and sharing resources. The ecosystem is open to any and all organizations in West Virginia interested in entrepreneurial development to share best practices and inspire collaborations.

IgniteWV

IgniteWV is a competition that seeks to fuel new or existing businesses by offering funding, coaching, and training to start or grow businesses in the Mountain State. The competition is open to anyone 18 years or older with a new idea or existing business in West Virginia.

Watch the full recorded session for more of their insights. 

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