September 13th, 2020

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And then, just when you’re not expecting it, life throws you a lightbulb (photo: Pixabay)

Should you start your own company or work for someone else?

Your true north
That is a hard question to answer, as we all have different values and motivators. My answer, to look inside yourself, might sound like zen advice, but it is probably the only way you’ll ever find your true north.

A lot of people like to preach: “If you work for yourself, the sky’s the limit and you’ll have ultimate freedom, while if you work for somebody, you are trading your time for money.”

While the second affirmation is true, I must say that the first is a blatant lie. Building your own company won’t grant you any freedom; it is quite the contrary. 

You will trade your time for no money (when you start) and the odds are against you. 

Emerging stronger
Last year was one of my toughest ever. I left the company I’d founded back in 2014, went through a divorce, and quit work due to mental fatigue. 

Things weren’t easy as I juggled the options of staying in Denmark or returning to my homeland Brazil (without my children). Self-doubt and anxiety grew, and I ended up going to a psychiatrist, starting cognitive therapy and practising transcendental meditation.

All of them were critical as I elected to look inside myself.

Right kind of questions
Out the other side, I’ve changed my opinion about creating a business. It is not for everyone, but what worked well for me to start all over again was to ask questions – the kind that are empowering and force you not to fool around. 

I’m talking about questions that start with ‘Why’, ‘What for’, ‘How’ and ‘What’. Specificity is also important so we avoid misinterpretations and drastically reduce the chance of making errors. 

But when asking questions, instead of asking “why something went wrong”, try asking yourself “what can I learn from a situation and what possibilities do I have now”.

Time to EVOLVE
During the pandemic, I was building my new company, EVOLVE. 

Many managers like to think they can only guide organisations by metrics, but forget that humans are constantly evolving. It is a natural law. If we don’t, we disappear. 

EVOLVE exists to help individuals and businesses build communities through an educational methodology. 

While there’s still a lot of work to do, I invite you to watch my journey. Get in touch!