Guess what? Yup, I'm reading another business book. This time I've started reading The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber. You may have heard of his books before or his company E-Myth Worldwide. What I find most interesting about this book so far is that it makes you ask yourself the question, "Are you working on your business it, or in it?" Anyone who is self-employed can tell you they are probably working in their business.

This is especially true for freelance workers, contractors, or anyone with their own brick and mortar business who does all of the work. When I took off on my own, I thought how much happier I would be by working for myself. Grant it, I am very happy. I don't experience any of the stress or the long commute I once did, however, I do still experience the burnout of doing the same work I did in my previous job. I basically have traded one job for another, except now I have much more freedom in terms of time and choosing who to work with.

Now I am working on freedom from doing all of the work. I rather work on my business instead of in it. When you become self-employed, you also take on multiple roles. You become the project manager, the technician, marketer, and any other task that is needed to keep your business going. Many self-employed individuals actually find themselves working more hours than they had at a previous job.

Like myself, what used to be your passion becomes your downfall. I used to really enjoy web developing but now I view it as a chore. I used to enjoy reading programming books and learning new techniques. I'd make web applications for fun and learning. The thought of cracking open a web related book bores me. New web projects frustrate me. The passion is gone.

I know I lost the desire for my work because I do it all. Outsourcing is not an option for me due to quick turn-around times. My passion now lies in affiliate marketing and network marketing. Both are exciting and both create residual streams of income. Best of all, there are no clients to answer to (another reason I've lost my passion.)

My goal is to actually move away from the labor and create revenue streams that allow me to be free to do the things I want. If you are finding yourself in the same boat, I suggest reading the following books:

• The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content.
• Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

All three books will make you think hard about your business model and what you truly want out of life.

photo credit: zachd1_618

It's easy to get caught up in the daily tasks of working for yourself. Every now and again, I think it's important to take a step back and ask yourself where you can make improvements. I'm big on reading self-improvement books and reading other blogs in which the authors give out their best advice. Below are some questions that you may ask yourself in order to keep making progress.

Is it Time to Raise Your Rates?

This is a big question for those who do freelance work. I wouldn't be surprised if you have wondered whether or not you are under charging your clients. Chances are, you could make much more by raising your rates. You don't necessarily need to raise them with current clients. You can try setting your price higher for new clients and see how it works out. You have to have the confidence to know that you are worth what you charge.

I read a story recently from another blog (sorry, I cannot remember the source) which went something like this:

Someone hired a carpenter to repair a squeaky floorboard. The carpenter nailed a nail into the floorboard in the right spot to stop the squeak and charged the customer $100. The customer asked "why so expensive?" and the carpenter replied, "$1 for the nail and $99 for knowing where to put it."

Sorry if I hacked up the story for anyone who is familiar with it, but basically the point is, don't underestimate your worth.

Is it Time to Outsource?

Do you want to get more done or expand your business to take on more work? It may be time to consider outsourcing to take the stress off of you and to get more done. Consider the daily tasks you do every day that could easily be done by someone else after you have given them direction. Wouldn't it be worth it to you to outsource those tasks in order to get more of the important stuff done? There are tons of places to outsource to and I am considering it myself as I develop a long-term plan.

Set New Goals

Are you setting any new goals for yourself and your business? It's easy to fall into a rut but it's important to keep growing as well. Maybe you want to make more money or work less while increasing your income. Or maybe you want to try a new career all together. Set some new goals and take action every day to get closer to accomplishing them.

Improving Yourself

Are you growing as a person? I believe there is always room for self-improvement. Maybe you are weak in some areas. You may be a very creative person but so unorganized it feels like nothing ever gets done. There are tons of self-improvement books that you can read. I just finished reading Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth and the sections about relationships and money were very good.

Learn Something New

It's important to never stop learning. I am constantly seeking out new information in terms of business, marketing, web programming and more. It's a good idea to learn new things and apply them to yourself and your business. You just never know what could develop from trying something new.

photo credit: surroundsound5000

First off, this post was inspired by my last post which I am sorry to say - I will not be posting an interview with a network marketer. I sent off my questions but never received a reply. Oh well, it happens. The lack of response did get me to thinking how being a flake can affect your business.

No one is perfect and when you work for yourself, it is easy to blow things off more so than if you have to answer to a boss. I have done it a few times and looking back, I'm sure I could have handled the situations a lot better. However, do you ever consider how much your reputation will suffer if you are a constant flake?

Of course people will stop trusting you and stop referring your services. When you promise something and don't deliver, it places you in a bad light. We all get busy and drop the ball every now and then, but let's take a look at how you can avoid becoming a flake in your business.

1. Don't Bite off More than You Can Chew - This is easy. If you are already booked up with projects, don't take on more until you know you can give them the time they deserve. When you aren't able to complete projects, you've not only wasted your time but the client's time when they could've went with someone else.
2. Don't Make Empty Promises - This can happen in casual situations where someone may ask you for your help and you say yes just to be nice. When the time comes to make good on your promise and you can't, it will make you look unreliable.
3. Reply to Those Emails - I even have trouble sticking to this one. It can be hard to reply to everyone when you receive tons of email every day. It is important to reply to your clients because it makes them feel secure and it establishes you as a trustworthy person.
4. It's the Little Things that Count - What you think may be insignificant can be a big deal to someone else. I am guilty of pushing off easy items until the last minute. I've learned to just take care of them right away. Quick turn-arounds will please the client.
5. End It - If there are clients that you cannot deal with anymore, end the working relationship. Chances are if you are holding on, you will keep putting off their projects, making yourself look bad. Put an end to the relationship and you will feel so much relief.

Everyone can be flaky once in awhile but it helps you and your business to try and avoid it as much as possible.