Self-employed people’s commitment is often met with the pitying phrase ‘self-employed and always working.’ But how true is that myth? Is self-employment always a 24/7 job? And is pity really called for? For the Goslarsche Zeitung’s startup section, we asked our founders.
Grzegorz Nalborczyk, who has run GN Metall- & Schneidtechnik in Bad Harzburg since 2018, lives his passion through his work. He says: ‘Yes, in a way you are self-employed and always working. BUT the motivation is completely different!’ He also praises the flexibility self-employment gives him. ‘It would be difficult, though, if my family didn’t support it.’
Mike Kelling, who has run Zipline Adventures at Bocksberg since 2022 and owned the Goslar Bimmelbahn for 18 years, also puts motivation first: ‘I like following processes all the way through. As a self-employed person, I have the freedom to decide many things myself and act spontaneously.’ At the same time, responsibility for his employees and the high risk in uncertain times weigh on him. In his experience, young people often put work-life balance ahead of the team. His conclusion: ‘The balance between enthusiasm and compensation for the pain has to be right.’
As a solo entrepreneur, Anne Beutel enjoys the freedom to arrange her time as she wishes. For just over a year, she has taken people into the Upper Harz countryside and on packrafting adventures on the Oker Reservoir with ‘Rafts on Trails’. ‘I see the challenge as freeing yourself from the pressure to be hugely successful and put every idea into practice immediately, even if that’s difficult at first.’
Marco Schmidt, who has run his company regioWerk since April, relates ‘self-employed and always working’ to all the experiences and impressions he gains each day. He sees a clear advantage to self-employment: ‘Customer feedback goes straight to the person making decisions in the company. That way, mistakes are ideally made only once.’
Leonie Heine opened her beauty studio in Hahndorf in April. The 25-year-old thus fulfilled a long-held wish. She is certain: ‘Being my own boss and shaping my day, my business and my services myself is a real privilege. That freedom means a better quality of life to me.’ She does not agree with the negative sense of ‘self-employed and always working.’
In short, self-employment is a challenge. Depending on the industry, there are busy periods when ‘self-employed and always working’ becomes reality. But with enjoyment, passion and good planning, self-employment can also improve your quality of life.
