At a recent party a friend of mine, asked me if i missed working for the big companies. It only took me a second to reply. "No way, Do i miss people checking what time i arrived, what time i left, length of time i took for lunch, other people taking my ideas and presenting them as theirs, doing other peoples work - NEVER

What i do miss, is the gossip (now replaced by online and networking) paid holidays, holidays, sick pay and other benefits!!

So come on ladies, what do you miss, don't miss about working for the big companies or working at all!

I don't miss the tube, or missing the train..... but I do miss those cheesy croissants I used to eat if I had missed the train!

What I miss is having a defined break time, although I never got proper breaks in my old career so I'm thinkig of my student jobs, M&S used to be really good as they did fab sandwiches and cakes at silly prices in the staff canteen - maybe I was always destined to go into something food related!

Admittedly in my youth sadly I actually started smoking due to the breaktime situation, you just never got to have a break, but if you said 'I'm going for a cigarette' you got 10 mins out which effectively was a break from the stress and then you also found out lots of info aswell as the gossip. Now a non-smoker for many years, I'm fully in favour of the smoking bans etc

Ooooh, great topic!

I can honestly say I don't miss a single thing about working for a big company! I don't miss the 'meetings for the sake of meetings', having to be nice to people who don't deserve it, waiting months for decisions to get sign-off and missing the boat because of this, and lining the pockets of lazy bosses!

I don't miss the people because I see the ones I like and don't have to waste energy on the others, I'm the hardest taskmaster I've ever met so I still don't slack off, I relish the 'light bulb' moment and act on it immediately (if it's right, I'm a step ahead of the rest and if it's wrong, I just don't do it again!) and there's something so empowering about being able to say you are your own boss and run your own company. Plus, there's nothing quite like the challenge of proving your doubters wrong to motivate you to be fabulous!

But I do miss the Grazia beauty sales - it sucks having to buy my own make-up!!!

X

Magicdust' comment "there's nothing quite like the challenge of proving your doubters wrong to motivate you to be fabulous!"

This is such a motivator. When i left my job 4.5 years ago to start my web design business, there were a few doubters, but it is the belief and motivation in yourself which keeps you focussed. I also believe when you are reliant on your own pay check, you will do the work.

Last point, none of us would have set up our businesses if we did not truly believe, in ourselves, or products or our services, would we?

Anyone else agree?

Absolutely.

Taking the plunge to leave the relative safety of a well-paid job also taught me a valuable lesson in who your real friends are. The ones who have supported me without question, be it with time, advice or the odd shared bottle or two of wine, will forever be on my list of favourite people!

The ones who let me down by being completely incapable of seeing my decision as right for me (because it wasn't something they would have done) have actually done me a favour as I no longer have to waste energy on them. That said, it's still disappointing when it happens.

My sister sent me a fabulous Mark Twain quotation which sums it up for me, "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

What a great quote.

Before i started my own business i had never been networking before. It really suprised me when friends of mine, would say at the school gate, so what have you been up to day, and i would tell them about a networking breakfast, about making contacts and promoting my business etc... they just did not get it!! needless to say i now never discuss my business with them as i feel some of them think i am playing at business, what they don't realise is that i am a very successful business woman, who has increased turnover every single year i have been in business. - A huge achievement, as i know i work really hard.

Anyone else have similiar experiences?