Do you dream of starting your own company? Or are you currently running your own business? Being your own boss sounds great, and it certainly has benefits, but it's not all fun and games.

It is interesting to set up your own company for the future, and perhaps even during your studies. Do you have these intentions? Then conduct good research first and use it to find out whether it is really something for you! To get you started, here are some advantages and disadvantages of running your own business.

Pros:

- You can create your own schedule. Do you prefer to work early in the morning or very late in the evening? In principle, you are free to work whenever you want!

- This also applies to holidays. You have the possibility to plan your trip outside the school holidays, which saves a lot of money!

- You have a great responsibility to continue to practice your passion / hobby and that means that you do not have a 9 to 5 mentality but can work when you want.

- You have no difficulties with colleagues and you do not have to work with people that you do not feel like. You get to work with people you feel good about!

- You can choose your own workplace, whether that is the garden when the weather is great, your own living room or a flex workplace, it's all possible.

- You learn a lot in administrative and business areas. They are not the most fun things to do, but because you do everything yourself, you can develop these skills!

- Not only in the administrative field, but you can also develop yourself in specific points you choose. You can think of courses for your presentation skills or management skills.

- You build your company with your own hands and see your own success, which generates a lot of motivation to get even more out of it.

In short: you are as free as a bird and you can go anywhere you want with your creativity and vision. That is, if you look at the list like that. Because being your own entrepreneur also brings a lot of stress! Let’s take a look at the cons!

Cons:

- Besides that the administrative and business are good for your own development, chances are that you find these tasks very boring. It is not the most fun thing when running your own business, but it is part of it.

- Setting limits to work hours is difficult as an entrepreneur. Practically, you are always working and thinking about ideas for your company. That can be quite tiring.

- Entrepreneurship also entails uncertainty. Where will we be in a few years' time? What to do if you go bankrupt? You will have to make plans for this and unfortunately you also have to think about these scenarios.

- You have to be and stay innovative: that is a nice challenge in itself, but it also sometimes causes stress.

- Owning your own business is hard work and you should absolutely not have a 9 to 5 mentality and realize that it is 24/7. That is not always fun for your immediate environment, as you are always busy.

- Everyone wants something from you if you are successful and gradually you have to learn whether that is sincere or whether you are being used: the business world is hard. You will learn from that!

Some benefits can also be drawbacks. As I indicated, it is nice that you do not have to work with colleagues you don’t have a good click with. This is certainly an advantage, but also a disadvantage. It is possible that you (especially in the first years after starting your company) miss the colleagues around you. It can be quite lonely to be responsible for your company all by yourself, especially if you can't discuss your ideas with anyone. It is of course possible to hire staff later, once your company has grown. This is an extra reason to keep working hard and to grow as much as possible with your company!

After this whole list, I understand if you have doubts. But if you really dream of starting your own business, go for it! A real entrepreneur takes risks 😉