As of tomorrow, I will no longer be in employment. My only source of income will be that of my own company, Anderson Accounts, which I started up 3 years ago to help my brother with his accounts.
Shortly after I started the company, I took on some friends’ tax returns, and from then it grew to a stage where I was taking on people I didn’t know as clients and getting referrals, and it has continued on from there.
My wife and I decided a while ago that when she goes back from her maternity leave that I would be looking after our baby 4 days a week and doing work for my own business on the other day.
I have very much enjoyed the work I have been doing for my own business. In my employment, I am very far from the people that my work is benefitting. Working in my own accountancy practice has meant I have seen first hand how I have helped people with their small business, with their rental property, or with a general issue that they needed to have resolved with HMRC.
It is also nice not having a boss. My boss has been great, but I really enjoy the freedom that you get working for yourself around when you can do the work. Whilst I have deadlines, there is less pressure around what I need to accomplish on each specific day.
I have never really enjoyed the whole going to work in an office side of things either. Those horrendous Dettol adverts that appeared on the tube recently reminded me of all the reasons I was pleased that I was leaving employment.
I definitely won’t miss commuting. I have not actually been in the office for the last 6 months due to lockdown, which has saved me almost 4 hours of travel time each day. The only thing I have been missing is the reading time. However, this time has been filled spending more time with the baby. I would only be seeing her for about half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening otherwise.
I realise we’re in a very fortunate position that we are financially secure enough for me to make this leap. I know that many families would be unable to have one parent at home all the time. As I’ve been told by many people, we won’t get this time back and I’m so pleased that I will be able to spend so much time with the baby whilst she is young.
What will I be doing on my first day outside of employment? I will be going back to the office and meeting my colleagues to say goodbye. Not how I pictured it months ago, but the pandemic means I need to go take back my laptop and other bits and pieces. I might even get a free lunch out of it.
People are kind and occasionally ask how they can help my business. It is the usual way you would help anyone’s business. Like my page on Facebook. Share my posts if you think they are worthwhile. Refer me to any friends who need accountancy help. Ask me for advice if you need any help.
When I set this as a bucket list item, I wasn’t expecting this to be the sort of company I started. I had thought it would be some sort of small business, maybe making t-shirt designs after having worked out how to get t-shirts made up for my band.
I also could have potentially claimed that I had already fulfilled it when I added it to the list as I was helping to run a local community investment company. But that would have sort of been like cheating. I am very pleased with how it has all worked out in the end and I’m looking forward to seeing how everything pans out in the future.