• Question: Is it easy to run your own business ?

    Asked by sam to Sylwia on 14 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Sylwia Nikel

      Sylwia Nikel answered on 14 Mar 2018:


      One would think it is easy if you are just by yourself and you have an accountant to deal with your finances…
      When I started it was quite easy and straightforward and I liked it. I think it is a good experience to have but my advice would be to get a good accountant. Mine turned out to be not the best and it caused me more stress that it should have. When I was contracting for Arup, I decided this is where I want to stay and settle. I closed my company when I was offered a permanent position where I am now.
      Overall, I would say it is not very difficult and I would advise investing in a good accountant. Having your own business can give you a nice boost of earnings to start with, so I think it’s a good thing to do. I liked it and now I’m happy as well I have closed it.
      It really depends what you want in your life. When I was a contractor I had an opportunity to try different sectors in GIS, which I benefited a lot from. I also was ready to settled, as moving around every 6 months, year or two became tiring. However, looking at Birmingham’s job in GIS sector it would seem I might have been in “wrong” location, as there seems to be quite often job offers here.

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