Why, oh why was I collapsing with heat exhaustion on the London Underground yesterday, when I could have been sitting under a weeping willow while skipping stones across a canal (and supping a pint)?
I am a salaried employee, and though our firm is flexible, we are pretty much expected to report for duty everyday within set hours. It’s a reasonable arrangement (especially if I want to get paid at the end of the month!)
In a heat wave such as this I am sorely envious of people who work for themselves, or who own businesses that work for them. These lucky people often have just that little bit more flexibility on what days and times they actually work. It is these people that you see sitting idly outside a canal-side pub with a cold pint of Blackthorn when you are heading back into your over-heated office.
What a great reason to start a business!
Of course, setting up and surviving in business is no easy task, I am well aware of that. Being in business has plenty of pressures, not least that, while you pay your own bills on time (you do, don’t you?), customers never seem to.
What most people want, when they take the plunge to start a business, is a revenue generator that will allow them to be financially comfortable. Yes, they want the pride and enjoyment that comes with watching a business grow, and of helping staff develop their skills, of good relations with trading partners, and building employment and wealth in their communities.
But the chance to watch the boats drift by while contemplating that second pint… that’s what I’m talking about.
