Working for yourself definitely has its positive and negatives. The idea of working for yourself always sounds like a great one, but once that is a reality it can be challenging in many different ways. Below are five lessons I’ve learned from being my own boss and a few pieces of career advice I can offer to those thinking about making the transition.

5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Being My Own Boss:

1. Always play two roles. The boss & the employee
   • I learned this with my first business and even more-so now with my blogging business. My mentor once told me, when you work for yourself you are playing two roles — the boss and the employee. Sometimes you have to ask yourself as the employee, how would my boss react to this? As the boss, are you being the example you would want your employee to follow? If you slept in and didn’t get to work until 11am, how would your employees feel about that? This is such a simple, yet profound way of thinking about it and I have been implementing it into my business ever since.
2. Having a dedicated work space that inspires
   • For me, this has been a game changer. I thought I would never take for granted no longer having to work in a cubicle, but I did a few months into going full-time with my blog. I realized I was waking up and wanting to work from bed some days, only because I could. After a few weeks, I was feeling so lazy and uninspired. I decorated my home office and made it a dedicated space, so when I got out of bed in the morning I looked forward to going in there and getting to work. For some, their home office isn’t what inspires them, but maybe getting out and working from a coffee shop or an outdoor space does. Wherever that space is for you, go there and you’ll be amazed by how much more you accomplish!
3. Creating a schedule for yourself
   • I have never been one who likes to be on a schedule, but the longer I have been working for myself the more I have realized this is crucial. Having structure in your daily schedule gives you a starting and end point, which allows you to accomplish more during your working hours. To give you an example, 8 a.m. is my starting point to each day. On Monday’s, my assistant shows up to my house at 9 a.m. sharp and our Monday is always dedicated to getting caught up on emails, invoicing, content planning, etc. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are shoot days, but I typically get up early to respond to emails before getting ready and planning outfits for the shoot. Wednesday’s and Friday’s, I always try to get a workout in and then I’m in the office at the computer the rest of the day. Creating this schedule has allowed me to create a timeline for projects and be more intentional with my time.
4.  Make sure you have time where you ‘turn it off’
   • This one is really difficult for me, because working for yourself means it usually never stops. There’s no 9-5 hours where you get to leave the office and call it a day. Emails and work communication continue to come in until late hours of the night and it seems like you always have to be ‘on’. Recently I have made myself step away from work shortly after Kyle gets home from work so that we can have quality time together where we aren’t on our phones/computers just existing in the same space. This is such an important one for your relationships in my opinion. Being totally present and in the moment seems to be rare in today’s society and I think we can all work on this part, self-employed or not!
5. Surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs
   • Whether this is finding a business mentor or a group of women that are fellow girl bosses, connecting with entrepreneurs and building relationships with like-minded females can be extremely empowering. I love having blogger friends I can bounce ideas off of and get opinions from. It’s almost like my own little support system within the industry. Having other women who can relate to your specific business and also cheer you on with your successes is vital!

I was inspired to write five things I’ve learned from being my own boss along with how I started my blog and went full-time after hearing Tristan’s story with Olay. I am proud to stand with her and all of the other fearless pilots and females throughout the world! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.