Tag: entrepreneur

Similarities between starting a business and job search

Mia2 Comments
To do start a business
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If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?

Daily Writing Prompt

Similarities between starting a business and job searching are that you need to impress people. I have thought about starting a business for years because job searching is a pain. I would start a graphic design business. I’ve tried to find clients through social media, but it’s like a job search. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In a job search, you need to make a resume and impress an employer. If you have a business, you need to impress a client. I’m not good at either. But I don’t want to be idle. Like my next-door neighbor, who doesn’t work and never goes anywhere. Just smokes and goes to the store at least twice a day. That’s not life. That’s waiting for old age.

My dad was a business owner, and my grandfather was too. It runs in my family to have a business, so it’s natural for me to think about it too. My cousin also has a business. The difference is that my occupation is different. So many people work in design that it’s harder to stand out.

But I’m not a typical graphic designer. I don’t want to do branding and visual identities. I don’t want to do print design either. I want to help Finnish female entrepreneurs who already have a brand and all that. But they don’t know how to use it in their daily work. I do graphic design for online use. Like visuals for social media and websites. I use my photography for design projects.

It just seems like no one wants to buy my services. I’ve taken different courses on how to promote a business. I’ve planned a posting schedule and posted regularly on Instagram. But recently, I’ve gotten bored of trying to get people to find me. It feels like I’m wasting time and energy writing and designing posts. Because what is the point when no one seems to care?

Maybe no one in Finland needs graphics or photographs for their content. They do them themselves. I’m bad at both marketing and job searching. No one wants to hire me. Perhaps people want me to be poor. The stars don’t shine my way.

I don’t want to take another marketing course, because they don’t help me at all. The Internet is full of tips on how to find clients, but it doesn’t work for everyone. My problem isn’t a lack of skills or education. It’s the marketing part. I can’t hire anyone to do my marketing, so I have to do it all myself.

I don’t want to start a business without clients. I don’t want to do a job search anymore, but without the social benefits, I won’t be able to manage financially. Starting a business is the easy part. Finding clients is the biggest challenge. When no one even contacts me, it feels like I’m not good enough to get people’s attention. I don’t have a network because I have never worked in a graphic design job. I don’t want to look for clients; I want them to find me. Cold calling terrifies me, and I don’t want to do something that isn’t in my nature. There are easier and more modern ways to find clients than that.

The year is ending, and I haven’t accomplished a thing. At the beginning of the year, I posted regularly on social media. I tried to write posts that could attract clients. I created visual content, graphics, and photography, but nothing happened. Likes are one thing, but getting someone to reach out is another. I don’t have time to wait years to find clients. I need them now.

But one positive thing this year is that I haven’t been idle. Giving up is not an option. I know I won’t find a job, but I know that if I really try, my target group will find me.

Going crazy with all these problems

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fingers crossed
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With money, you have problems, but you also have trouble when you don’t have much. It’s crazy how much things cost, and when you don’t have any income, it’s even worse. You have to save money for important things like rent and bills. I’m going crazy with these problems. Soon the savings are gone, and what to do then?

It shouldn’t be like this for anyone. Some people got it worse than me. I’m not the crazy one; the world is. The uncertainty is the worst. Will things never get better? I shouldn’t have these problems at this age. Being unemployed isn’t a picnic. Some people think it’s easy to get a job, and those without one want to stay out of work. Most unemployed people want to earn their own money. You don’t live on welfare forever.

I would get money if I sold my flat, but I need money to hire a cleaner and moving help. But since I don’t have any income, I can’t afford it. My car doesn’t work, so I can’t fix it. Luckily, I don’t need the car right now. I still need to pay car taxes. It would be nice to have money to go on a cruise, go to an ice hockey game, and not worry about money in the first place. Not be worried that I don’t have money to pay bills.

I want to become an entrepreneur, but I’m afraid of starting because I haven’t found any clients. I’ve tried a lot of things, but no one’s buying. People only want free things. I need something right now and not in a few years. I’ve been on many paid courses about digital marketing, but none of those tips have worked. Perhaps it works for people who sell courses. I sell graphic design services. It feels as if I’m wasting time on trying to write a post that would attract clients. I don’t have the money to hire someone to do the marketing part. Now I have to do everything alone, so I don’t have time to design.

It’s a perpetual cycle. Problems come, but none are solved. All you can do is hope things will get better and try not to go crazy. People talk about how much money they have, but not many talk about the lack of it. It’s as if it’s taboo. If someone is saying they are working because they love the job, they’re not totally honest about it. You need money to survive; it’s a bonus if you love what you do.

I love designing and photography, but that doesn’t pay the bills. It would be nice to earn money from it, but without clients, it’s impossible. Right now, I need to hang on and not give up. That never makes me feel better, but I have to believe it somehow.

Peter Pan never grew up and I won’t either

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plant growing
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There are different ways to grow—in height, sideways, or mentally. In this case, it means what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t want to grow up because you need to stay childlike in your mind. Peter Pan didn’t grow up, and I won’t either. Life is a long learning process, and you’ll never graduate from it. You only do adult things because who else would do them. Some things you have to do, like paying bills or other responsibilities that come along with it. The worst thing about being an adult is looking for a job and thinking about what to do when you grow up. It’s easier if you already know from a young age. For some, it takes longer.

I have had dreams, but they have never come true. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Since I have never had a big dream come true, I have small ones. Life didn’t turn the way I imagined it. When I was a teenager, I thought I would have had a family at 25, but then I thought I would meet the pop star I had a crush on. I also thought I would move to England, but that didn’t happen. My priorities have changed since then. I’ve had dreams after that, too. I wanted to become a Formula One photographer, but that dream was unrealistic. I have spent my life thinking about what to do, and some might think I’ve missed out on what other people have been doing. But you can’t miss something you’ve never had. I didn’t want to be like everyone else, and I am happy with my choices. Some people are meant to be married, have 2,3 children and have a career, but that’s not me. I’m Peter Pan, for crying out loud. Well almost.

My current dream is not to be a job seeker. I hate looking for one job each month and then reporting it to the job search people—I don’t know what these people are called. They expect me to look for something that doesn’t exist, as I would get a job by applying to one. The whole job search is unpleasant because it’s a waste of time and energy. There is only one I should answer for, and that’s me. I don’t want anyone to follow what I’m doing, and if I don’t do what they want, they punish me for not doing enough. By punishment, I mean taking the benefits away. If you don’t apply to jobs they think you don’t want any. It’s not about wanting; it’s about having the possibility to get a job. I don’t want a job to have something to do during the day because I have plenty to do. I want to do something that has a meaning. Life is too short to waste on something you’re forced to do. I’ve had internships where I didn’t want to be, but it was good to have because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I got at least some job experience, even if employers don’t see it that way. My late mother always used to say you have to start somewhere, and I did. They still want me to apply for jobs that should be offered to young people who don’t know what they want. If I was 18 or more, jobs like that would be OK. But I want a real job with actual pay. I have diplomas that going to waste, and I didn’t study to fill my head with information. I want to put it to good use.

If you have the opportunity to do the things you want, you should do them. Therefore, I’m seriously thinking about becoming an entrepreneur because I want to be useful and make my own schedule. I don’t want to be stuck in this same spinning wheel for the rest of my life. I’ve thought about this for a long time and don’t want it to be a thought only. Nothing happens overnight, and I’m already working on it. This Peter Pan will fly and show you don’t need to be fully grown up to be who you truly are.