The Highs and Lows of Self-Employment

By Georgia Jones / Owner of One Body Colchester

Stepping into self employment feels a bit like being handed the keys to your own kingdom, then realising you’re also the castle builder, the gardener, the accountant, the cleaner, the receptionist, the marketing department, and the emotional support donkey. It’s wild. It’s wonderful. It’s occasionally terrifying.

Here’s the truth no business course ever prepares you for: self employment is both the biggest glow-up and the biggest psychological endurance test you’ll ever sit. One minute you’re buzzing with ideas and booking clients, the next minute you’re staring at your calendar wondering if you’ve accidentally offended the universe.

The Lonely Start

Starting from scratch feels lonely. No colleagues to bounce ideas off, no manager to guide you, no teammate to share the “did that actually just happen?” moments. There’s just you, your thoughts, and your questionable midday snack habits.

Those early days are quiet in a way that prick at your self doubt. You check your phone too often. You overthink every decision. You wonder if you’re meant to be doing something more, something different, something… better?

Your Support Network Keeps You Standing

Families deserve knighthoods for the emotional labour they do. Friends too, especially the ones who share your posts, recommend you to strangers, and clap for you even when you forget to clap for yourself.

Your community becomes a lifeline. That lady who runs the shop at the end of your street. The café owner who lets you put your flyer on the counter. The gym instructor who invites you to run a workshop. These people become your cheerleaders long before your own confidence catches up.

Get Close with Local Business Owners

There’s something magical about chatting shop with people who get it. Local business owners and fellow therapists are like your unofficial tribe. They understand the strange mix of freedom and fear, the endless to-do list, the unexpected wins, and the stomach-drop moments.

Networking stops feeling like a chore when you realise you’re surrounded by people who want you to win.

The Hard Moments Usually Come From Not Knowing How Well You’re Doing

No one talks about this. The hardest days are not actually the quiet ones. They’re the days you question whether you’re doing enough, even when you’re doing everything humanly possible.

You get so focused on the next client, the next idea, the next goal, the next “level” that you forget to acknowledge the mountain you’ve already climbed. You bulldoze your own achievements because you’re too busy preparing for the next sprint.

Suddenly you’re exhausted, emotional, and convinced you’re failing, even while people around you are saying how amazing you’re doing.

The Graft Comes First

The early months of self employment are gritty. You put in hours no one sees. You do things that don’t pay straight away. You learn software that makes you want to cry. You pay for equipment, licences, subscriptions, marketing, and anything else that stands still long enough.

You do it because you believe it will work.

Passion carries you, but discipline steers the wheel.

The Relatable Realities

• You’ll speak to yourself out loud more than you ever did before.
• You’ll go from confident business owner to panicked life form in seconds while doing your taxes.
• You’ll sometimes forget what day it is because your diary becomes your religion.
• You’ll get messages on your day off and feel torn between “I must reply” and “if I don’t rest I’ll implode.”
• You’ll have weeks where everything clicks, followed by weeks where everything feels like wading through treacle.
• You’ll gain resilience you didn’t know you had.
• You’ll cry once or twice, then quote it as “character development.”
• You’ll learn to celebrate the tiny wins, because they’re actually the big ones.

The Highs Make It Worth It

Nothing hits quite like seeing progress that you created with your own bare hands.
That first fully booked day.
The message from a client saying you changed their week.
The moments where you realise you’re building a life that once felt impossible.

Self employment tests you. Then it rewards you. Then it tests you again.
It doesn’t get easier. You just get stronger, smarter, and more rooted in who you are.

If you're starting this journey, remember something important. You don’t need certainty. You need courage. Your people will support you, your community will surprise you, and you will rise to the occasion.

Here’s to the highs, the lows, the messy middle, and the magic of making something your own.