Self-Employment

Do you want to manage your own career? Self-employment is an option for many people who want more independence or who are not finding the job they want in the employment market.

Self-employment can take many forms, both full- and part-time. For example, you could:

  • Run a business on your own, with a partner or with employees.
  • Own and manage a franchise.
  • Work on contracts for different clients.
  • Hire yourself out as a consultant in your area of expertise.

To succeed in self-employment, you need both skills and an entrepreneurial aptitude. Find out if self-employment could work for you.

Business skills

As an entrepreneur, you’ll needs skills in several areas, including:

  • Sales and marketing.
  • Business administration​.
  • Managing resources like time and money.
  • Interpersonal skills.

At first, you will likely have to do all of these tasks yourself. Once your business starts to make money, you may hire support professionals, assistants or employees to help with the business.

Soft skills

In addition to business skills, you also need a variety of “soft" skills or attitudes. They can make all the difference in successful entrepreneurship. These include:

  • Self-confidence.
  • Willingness to take the initiative.
  • Ability to keep things going from day to day.
  • Positive thinking.
  • Ability to spot new opportunities.
  • Creative thinking and problem solving.
  • Ability to work well with others and build a good team.
  • Motivation to succeed and accomplish things.
  • Willingness to take calculated risks.
  • Community-mindedness.

Self-assessments

Find out if you have what it takes to succeed in self-employment with resources from these agencies.

  • Business Development Bank – Take this free online test to find out if your skills and comfort level are right for entrepreneurship.
  • GoForth Institute – Download the self-assessment quiz for a look at yourself, as well as the social, family and financial resources that can help you in your business.
  • Women’s Enterprise Centre – Use this tool to find out what traits you have that can help your business and what might cause challenges.

Getting started

If you’ve decided that you’re ready or you want to explore self-employment further, use these resources to start your business planning.

  • Community Futures BC – Find small business programs, tools and loans for small businesses based in rural B.C. communities.
  • GoForth Institute – Use videos and resources that will help you build a successful small business.
  • Small Business BC – Talk to experts, learn practical business skills and find dozens of free resources online for starting and growing small businesses.
  • Women’s Enterprise Centre – Learn how to start your business in B.C., get advice and find a mentor to help you stay on the right track.
  • WorkBC Centres – Connect with a centre near you and get support with self-employment services.

Learn about self-employment options

Many British Columbians forge their own path to employment. Find out more about entrepreneurial options.

Here are some of the ways you can be self-employed in B.C.:

Self-employment, services

Provide services on a solo basis, based on training, skills and experience (e.g., child care, plumbing, accounting, consulting)
Advantages: flexibility around the type and timing of work; reduced overhead if home-based
Disadvantages: continual need to find clients, long hours, administrative chores, financial investment, unreliable income, few or no benefits

Self-employment, products

Develop and market products on a solo basis
Advantages: apply creativity, flexibility around type and timing of work, reduced overhead if home-based
Disadvantages: need to market products effectively and keep up with evolving consumer demands, possible competition with lower-priced mass-produced items, unreliable income, few or no benefits

Self-employment, selling others’ products

Market products provided by another company, via direct marketing or franchise
Advantages: brand recognition, training and established formula, flexibility around timing of work, reduced overhead if home-based
Disadvantages: must conform to formula and policies, limited creativity, sometimes sizeable financial investment, unreliable income, few or no benefits

Talent pooling

Group with other self-employed people with common goals and different talents, to direct opportunities to each other or collaborate to provide services or products (e.g., writer, graphic designer and photographer)
Advantages: expands opportunities, can ease the time required to hunt for work, ability to focus on own specialty
Disadvantages: need good communication and teamwork skills, must contribute to client base, long hours, administrative chores, financial investment, unreliable income, few or no benefits

Consulting

Complete projects within specific time frames for a number of clients, either at once or successively
Advantages: use of expertise, variety, flexibility, independence
Disadvantages: continuing need to find the next project, long hours, administrative chores, unpredictable income, few or no benefits

Entrepreneurship

Owning a business that includes a partner and/or employees
Advantages: independence, control, adventure, flexibility, sense of achievement, increased income potential
Disadvantages: greater financial risk, sense of responsibility for employees’ livelihoods, lonely and stressful at times, administrative chores, longer hours, few or no benefits