Don’t get me wrong, owning your own business is great.  But sometimes there are certain drawbacks to it.  I’m definitely feeling it today, as I ended up with way too much to do — work as well as other stuff — and since this is a one-woman operation, I am struggling to get everything done in time.

I don’t want to discourage you if you want to start your own business or buy a turnkey business.  However, it will only benefit you if you consider everything carefully before making your decision.

Here are the drawbacks of owning your own business:

1. Everything depends on you.  Even if you have a large enough business to hire employees, you are still the one who has to pick up the pieces any time they go on vacation, get sick, or can’t get all their work done.  Or if you’re like me and do everything yourself, you end up working your butt off sometimes to get everything done on time!
2. You have to deal with the "feast or famine" phenomenon.  A fellow freelancer just emailed me the other day, asking for advice about a slow period.  Small businesses have to deal with this all the time, especially if you’re a business that is affected by seasons or holidays, such as a Ship on Site business.  Sometimes business will be extraordinarily good, and other times you’ll be struggling to get by.
3. Working from home means long hours.  I believe I’ve heard of studies that show people who work from home tend to naturally work more hours than people who work in an office.  I guess it’s hard to get away from your work when it’s just in the next room, rather than a commute across town!

Thanks for letting me vent.  The truth is, no matter what the drawbacks, to me owning my own business is ten times better than working for someone.  I doubt I’ll ever give up freelancing!