So, I became self-employed so that I could manage my time as I wished.
But that was an illusion, and I want to say so plainly. You’re still trading time for money, and you can’t always plan when that time will be needed. “Doing everything myself, all the time” turned out to be closer to the truth. Clients also expect you to be available when they need you.
The result was that at some point, I stopped taking on new assignments and lived off my savings. Not everyone has savings or can do this. I could, and I took care of my father.
For a very good father who made everything and a little more possible for me, and who deserved it. He never demanded it; he thanked me every time and said, “Take care of yourself” – and he truly meant it.
But love within a family can never be a one-way street. For me, it was the only option.
It has a lot to do with dignity in old age. In the hospital room where he spent his final days (we don’t call it a room for dying here – that sounds far too dreadful), I cleaned the windows, which were so dirty you could barely see through them, so he could look outside. “You weren’t allowed to do that!” When I asked whether they would have done it, I got no answer.
But savings eventually run down, and I didn’t want to end up struggling financially either. So I had to think about how I would earn my living in future.
By then, there was one thing I knew for sure:
I no longer wanted to exclusively exchange time for money.
So, I started searching.
And in doing so, a question quickly arose that I had not anticipated at all:
What kind of entrepreneur do I actually want to be?