Opinion
Being your own boss can change your view on work
In this week's column, digital nomad Raisa Haapala explains how entrepreneurship is not as scary as it sounds.
Once you go freelance, you may experience major changes that can completely change the way you view your work. You no longer pursue goals you are given, because you are told to do so by someone else. You choose your own goals and then pursue them with passion and enthusiasm, because you are developing yourself as an individual and an entrepreneur. That feels incredibly rewarding.
It’s true that once you become an entrepreneur, your line between work and personal life shifts and you no longer clock out from work for the weekend. Many of us Finns value the message conveyed by the local labour unions – that you work the hours outlined in your contract and you get paid by those hours.
When you step outside of the corporate world, you may not feel that you need that same supportive framework of the 40-hour work week anymore. As you are free to choose your own projects, you actually enjoy working at the weekends. I personally love the sense of accomplishment when I accept tasks without any certainty on how to complete them. When I deliver the required results to my Finnish clients regardless of my junior level skills, it feels like I’ve achieved something.
Many of us Finns remember the economic depression of the ‘90s that may have influenced the way we still view entrepreneurship. The economic pressures capped company spending, which in turn had an immense effect on entrepreneurs. Growing up in this environment didn’t exactly encourage young talent to consider starting their own companies at the time.
Things have changed. You can jump into digital entrepreneurship with low overhead costs, as all you need is a computer, wifi, some funding to get you going and some great minds around you, so you are never alone when you hit new barriers. If you are considering starting a business, having the right network of people is crucial. I recommend you get active in your field, go to interesting seminars, speak to people and keep up with the networking, as small enterprises are all about helping one another out.