Do
you need a boss? According to Seth Godin bosses do a lot for
us! 

“Bosses decide what’s
urgent.
Bosses pay you even when the client doesn’t honor the invoice.
Bosses create deadlines, and stick with them.
Bosses pay for the Postits.”

We’ve talked about becoming
a Solopreneur and some of the transitions
you might face. But, do you need a boss? If so, what do you do if you don’t have one? Seth’s list seems to fall into two categories:
Risk and Discipline. 

Risk: From a financial perspective, we all must realize
that sometimes work is plentiful and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes clients pay us promptly and
sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we need
help getting a client to pay us at all. Can you deal with that uncertainty?

No matter what service or
product we provide, business development is the single most important part of
being on your own. If we can’t sell our
services, we need to partner with someone that can.  

Once the work is coming in,
consider this: What can you do to mitigate financial risk? Do you have some money put away? Can you take a percentage of your earnings
when work is abundant and stash it for when it isn’t – or for when you decide
to take some time off?

Discipline:
If we have a problem with discipline then we need to develop a way to
compensate for it. Consider the “buddy
system”. While we may not work for
anyone (but our clients), we can work WITH anyone in any capacity we chose. 

I discuss my commitments
with colleagues I respect (and who have very high standards). With my personality, that helps me to meet
deadlines. It also helps me
prioritize. I don’t talk about the less
important activities on my list because I know I might have to move those tasks
around – and I want to meet my dates!

What motivates you? What could you do to “manage yourself” into
being more disciplined?