10 good reasons to start your own business (and what you need to know)
Working for yourself sounds appealing, and it often is. But it's no fairy tale. Here are 10 good reasons to become an entrepreneur, each with the honest flip side included.
Every year, tens of thousands of people in the Netherlands take the plunge and start working for themselves. Why do they do it? And is it really as good as it sometimes looks?
Below are 10 good reasons to start your own business. We'll be honest: every reason comes with a flip side. Running a business isn't an escape from work. It's a different kind of work, with more freedom and more responsibility.
1. You decide what you do
As a business owner, you set your own course. What services do you offer? What are you good at, and where do you want to go? You don't have to wait for someone else to give you the opportunity.
The flip side: nobody tells you what the next step is either. You have to choose your own direction, and sometimes change it.
2. You manage your own time
Want Friday afternoons off to pick up the kids? Prefer to work in the evenings when you're at your sharpest? As a freelancer, you have more control over your diary.
The flip side: clients have deadlines too, and some jobs come with fixed hours. In the early days, you'll often work more hours than you did as an employee, not fewer.
3. You choose who you work with
You decide which clients you take on. If a job isn't right for you, you can turn it down.
The flip side: that's a luxury you only have once you've got enough work. In your first year, you'll spend much of your time finding clients.
4. Your income grows with your effort
Your rate and the number of jobs you take on determine what you earn. As you gain skills or specialise, you can raise your rate. There's no pay scale holding you back.
The flip side: your income fluctuates. A quiet month, a client who pays late or a spell of illness hits you straight away. A financial buffer isn't a luxury.
5. You learn fast
As a business owner, you're also your own salesperson, bookkeeper and marketer. You learn to negotiate, plan and sell your work, which makes you more versatile.
The flip side: all those tasks take time you can't bill for. Factor that into your rate.
6. You build something of your own
Your name, your reputation, your client base: it's all yours. Every good job makes your business stronger, and that's deeply satisfying.
The flip side: it also feels personal when things go wrong. A rejected quote isn't a rejection of you as a person, but it can feel that way.
7. You get variety
A short job for a start-up today, a big project for a government body next month. You get to see lots of different organisations, and that keeps you sharp.
Many freelancers work part of the time from home, a co-working space or on the move. That saves commuting time and gives you peace of mind.
The flip side: you miss out on chats by the coffee machine. Make a point of connecting with other business owners, for example through a network or a shared workspace.
9. You fit your work around your life
Want to work less because you're having a baby? Take a sabbatical? Go back to studying? As a business owner, it's easier to adapt your work to your stage of life.
The flip side: those benefits are shrinking. The self-employed deduction has been cut year after year and drops to €900 in 2027 (opens in a new tab) (in Dutch). So don't start a business for the tax breaks. Start one because it can stand on its own two feet.
The bottom line
Running a business gives you freedom, but it also takes discipline. Go in with your eyes open and you'll get the most out of it.
xFreelance helps you handle the practical side. Keep your CV, clients and projects in one place, have your hours approved online by your client, and see jobs from different platforms on a single board. That leaves you more time for the fun part of running a business.
