Going self-employed isn’t for everybody. If you’re currently happy in your career, and it provides for your financial and emotional needs, then you may not want to give it up to work on your own. Because…well…Why would you?

However, if you are currently in a job you hate, or if you are unemployed and struggling to find a job, then self-employment might be right for you. And if you are on a career path that offers little fulfillment, then going self-employed may be the best way to follow a particular passion. No-brainer, right?

Going self-employed might be right for you on so many levels, but there may be fears holding you back. As our title alluded, you may be scared of going self-employed, for any number of reasons. Such as?

The prospect of working for yourself may seem overwhelming to you. Where do you start? What do you do? Well, on a practical level, you can begin by following some of our advice here, and you can find out more about self-employment online. Depending on where you live in the world, there will be various guidelines on your government’s website. Provided you have a marketable idea, you can begin as soon as you are ready. You don’t even need to give up your regular job immediately, as the two can go hand in hand if you want to test the waters of self-employment before you fully commit.

You may be afraid of the financial complexities of self-employment. Taxes? Invoicing? Bookkeeping? If you’re not a financial whiz kid, you may be afraid of getting into a muddle with everything. What if you get it wrong? Well, fear not. There are resources available to help you with this aspect of self-employment, so it doesn’t have to be overly-complicated. There is advice in the article we linked you to above. There are downloadable apps and tools, including FreshBooks and QuickBooks which can help you manage your accounts. Invoicing your clients is made easy with this simple invoice template. And you could always hire an accountant to help you with your taxes, though there is plenty of advice on government websites to simplify the process. Dealing with the financial side of business may be something you’re not used to, but by using the resources available to you, it doesn’t have to be too complicated.

Your biggest fear may be failure. What if your business doesn’t succeed? It’s a good question, and statistically, many businesses do fail. But what’s the alternative? If you are unemployed, you have nothing to lose. Giving it a go may be the best thing you do today. If you are currently in employment, then failure is a valid fear if you’re thinking about leaving your job, but it’s about taking steps to secure success. Before making the move into self-employment, have a go at this free business training program. There is a lot of advice within that should prove invaluable to you, with tips to guide your thinking before you commit. And once you do become self-employed, be prepared to put the work in. If you work hard, you will reduce the chances of failure. Put every effort into marketing your business. Focus on quality work as you build up a customer base. And if you are weak in any area, consider outsourcing these parts of your business, or commit to training and self-improvement. You might fail, but then again, you may succeed. There is only one way to find out, and that is to take your first tentative steps using the advice we have linked you to.

Scared of self-employment? You don’t need to be. Follow the advice we have given you in this article and some of your fears will be allayed. We wish you every success as you go forward, whatever you decide.