Reminiscing on five years of self-employment at The Researchery

Five years ago I took the big plunge and bowed out of the world of the office in order to set up my own business doing what I love best - research! Gone were the days of office politics, management by committee and endless meeting about meetings. Hello freedom! Gone also were the days of income security, 9-5, and team bonding over birthday cakes. So, swings and roundabouts then? Yes, absolutely. It’s a double-edged sword, self-employment, and you have to know what you’re about in order to wield it capably without accidentally stabbing yourself in the foot.

Having a wide range of contacts in the sector and a reasonably widely regarded reputation in the field has certainly been the bedrock of life at The Researchery and thus far this has seen me working with some amazing clients on a variety of incredibly interesting projects.

Of course I have to juggle projects which overlap because more than one client wants a report at the same time. Of course I’ve had to work many evenings and weekends to meet multiple deadlines. And of course I’ve had to hold my nerve during quiet periods when nobody seems to be commissioning research (usually around Christmas). But I’ve also got the freedom and pleasure of working from home, being around to feed my toddler his lunch, to take 10 minutes out to build a lego house or dinosaur park (verifiably relaxing), no daily commute, and being able to choose (to some extent) what to work on and who to work with.

I would definitely recommend self-employment. You need discipline, determination, a little black book of contacts and a good reputation for being excellent at your job. You’ll also need some other skills (which you can learn or buy them in) - business management, accountancy, invoicing, website building, contracting.

It’s a fast-paced, slow-build, exciting and sometimes frightening way to inject new life into your career. But definitely worth it. Happy fifth birthday The Researchery!