I write a lot about personal finance. I hear a lot about how different employers are handling the current economic crunch and, lately, what I’ve been hearing makes me pretty uncomfortable about working for a long list of companies. Some employers are slashing benefits — effectively cutting their employees’ salaries while inflation reduces their buying power.

I want to suggest entrepreneurship as an alternative, but I realize that it isn’t a great option for everyone. I’ve been putting together a list of pros and cons in an effort to decide whether starting up a business is really a good idea for some people, especially in the middle of ongoing financial problems. I’ve tried to stick to financial

and business issues while it’s nice that many small business owners can spend more time with their families, I don’t think that’s the biggest issue for many folks considering entrepreneurship right now.

The Pros

1. If your employer is letting you go, offering early retirement or using another euphemism for firing you, it may be hard to find another job immediately. Being in business for yourself allows you to immediately start working on making money, rather than proofreading your resume.

2. Without the middleman (a.k.a. your employer) you can charge significantly more for your services — along the lines of what your employer was charging for your work.

3. You don’t have to go whole hog into running your own business. You can try out your business on a part-time, evenings and weekends, basis while still working your current job.

4. It can be easier to pick up overtime if you no longer have to get your manager to sign off on it. If you run your own business, overtime is a matter of finding another client or customer.

5. The cost of working at home is much lower than for your employer: you don’t have to pay to commute, you can eat inexpensively in your own kitchen and you only have to meet a dress code when you’ll actually be seeing a client. And, while this isn’t particularly noble, you can avoid the constant birthday parties, baby showers and other office events that constantly drain your time and your wallet.

6. Just about all of the expenses associated with your business are tax deductible. Running your own business can make your tax burden significantly lower — and a surprising number of things are considered business expenses, like conference registrations.

The Cons

1. While getting health insurance without an employer providing it isn’t impossible, it can be pretty difficult — especially if you actually need. Pre-existing conditions can make it absolutely impossible to get health insurance on your own.

2. With a job, if you aren’t quite on the ball one week, you still get paid. But if you fumble on your own business, you can wind up losing money. Even if you have a contract, sometimes things can go very wrong. An employer absorbs those problems, but can you do that if you’re on your own?

3. There are some great jobs that simply aren’t possible to do in a small business that you’re just starting yourself. If you have one of those jobs and you like it, why mess with a good thing?

4. It’s all well and good to jump off the deep end if no one’s depending on your earnings. But if you have a family or other dependents, you have to be absolutely sure before you strike out on your own.

5. You have to buy your own equipment when you run your own business: no more company laptop — or printing out your personal stuff at work. A computer, a printer, maybe even a fax machine: you’ll have to buy what ever you need for your home office.

6. There’s no such thing as vacation time or sick leave when you run your own business. You can certainly take time off when you need to — after all, you’re the boss — but you just don’t get paid when you’re not working.

7. While the flexibility of working for yourself can be nice, more and more employers are offering flex time and telecommuting options. You can have a lot of the benefits of working for yourself without having to give up a regular salary.

My Conclusion

Freelancing, consulting, and running your own business isn’t for everyone. There’s a certain amount of security in working for an employer, even if that employer is considering cutting costs with little tricks like suspending 401(k) benefits. That said, if you’re comfortable with the risks, I think there are a lot of opportunities right now: even big companies are turning to freelancers and consultants to handle the workloads of those employees who suffered under a cost-saving measure. Either choice requires a lot of careful consideration and shouldn’t be made lightly.

There are plenty of situations that can negate the cons I listed, as well as the pros. I mentioned that there’s no such thing as paid vacation if you run your own business — you can get around that negative fairly easily if you concentrate on building passive income. A lot depends on your field, as well as whether you have the self-discipline to run your own company. Before you make your decision, research all your options. You might even consider doing a test run: with a lot of businesses, you can get a head start on things even while you’re still gainfully employed.

我(wo)寫(xie)了(le)一(yi)些(xie)個(ge)人(ren)理(li)財(cai)方(fang)麵(mian)的(de)文(wen)章(zhang)
，聽(ting)到(dao)很(hen)多(duo)關(guan)於(yu)雇(gu)主(zhu)是(shi)如(ru)何(he)處(chu)理(li)當(dang)前(qian)資(zi)金(jin)困(kun)難(nan)的(de)事(shi)情(qing)。最(zui)近(jin)聽(ting)到(dao)的(de)一(yi)些(xie)
，令(ling)我(wo)感(gan)到(dao)為(wei)一(yi)個(ge)又(you)一(yi)個(ge)的(de)公(gong)司(si)工(gong)作(zuo)很(hen)讓(rang)人(ren)難(nan)受(shou)。許(xu)多(duo)雇(gu)主(zhu)大(da)幅(fu)度(du)削(xue)減(jian)利(li)潤(run)——實際上是在通貨膨脹降低了購買力的時候，削減雇員工資。

woxiangjianyibazuoqiyezhudangzuoyigexuanze

，buguo，wozhidaozhebushisuoyourendezuijiaxuanze。woyijingliechuliyubideqingdan，jinliquedingzuoshengyiduimouxierenlaishuoshifouzhenshigehaozhuyi
，tebieshizaijinrongwentijixufazhanzhishi。woyizhijianchiyanjiujinrongheshangyewenti，jirannaxiexiaoshengyirennengyougengduodeshijianhejiarengongdu，worenweiduixuduorenlaishuomashangkaolvzuoqiyezhubushizuidadewenti。

利

1. 如ru果guo雇gu主zhu正zheng要yao解jie雇gu你ni，提ti出chu讓rang你ni提ti前qian退tui休xiu，或huo用yong其qi它ta委wei婉wan的de說shuo法fa解jie雇gu你ni，你ni可ke能neng很hen難nan馬ma上shang找zhao到dao其qi它ta工gong作zuo。自zi己ji做zuo生sheng意yi能neng讓rang你ni立li即ji開kai始shi工gong作zuo賺zhuan錢qian，而er不bu必bi一yi遍bian遍bian地di給gei人ren看kan簡jian曆li。

2. 沒有了中間人（也稱為雇主）你可以從自己的服務中獲取更可觀的效益——包括雇主從你的工作中獲取的利潤。

3. 你不必須一心撲在自己的生意上
，可以花部分時間，晚上或者周末試著做做生意，而主要精力還放在當前的工作上。

4. 如果加班不必非要經理簽字了，就能更容易得到加班費。如果自己做生意，加班是尋找新客戶和聯係老主顧的重要環節。

5. 在家工作比為雇主工作費用低得多：你ni不bu必bi付fu交jiao通tong費fei，還hai可ke以yi花hua很hen少shao的de錢qian在zai家jia做zuo飯fan吃chi
，而er且qie隻zhi有you當dang你ni確que實shi要yao去qu見jian客ke戶hu的de時shi候hou，才cai需xu要yao穿chuan正zheng裝zhuang。即ji使shi這zhe些xie都dou不bu特te別bie重zhong要yao，你ni還hai能neng逃tao避bi接jie連lian不bu斷duan的de生sheng日ri宴yan會hui、新生兒喜宴，以及其它不斷消耗你的時間和金錢的辦公室活動。

6. 和你的生意有關係的一切費用就隻是扣除營業稅了。經營自己的生意能讓你的稅務負擔大大降低——像會議注冊這樣被視為業務費用的事情多得驚人。

弊

1. 然而，雖然沒有雇主為你投保,也不是絕對上不了醫保，但可能會非常困難——尤其是已經患病的人,根據預定的參保條件，要想靠自己得到健康保險是完全不可能的。

2. ruguoyouyitianniyibunamenengganle，youfengongzuohainengdedaobaochou。erniruguochulibuhaozijideshengyi，jiukenengsunshiqiancai。jinguanyouhetong
，youshiqingkuanghaishihuihenzaogao。guzhuchengdanleyiqiewenti，danshi
，ruguoshini
，ninengzuodaoma？

3. 有些很好的工作
，你剛開始做的小生意是不可能做的。如果你有一個這樣的工作
，而且很喜歡，為什麼要毀掉它呢？

4. 如果沒人靠你的收入生活，能跳出困境當然好，但是，如果你有家庭或其他依賴你的人，那你就必須在自主創業之前絕對有把握。

5. 經營自己的生意時，你必須置辦自己的設備：不再有公司的便攜式電腦可用——也不再可能在上班時打印自己的東西。電腦、打字機，也許甚至傳真機：你不得不買所有家庭辦公所需的物品。

6. 經營自己的生意時
，沒有休假或請病假這樣的事情。當然了
，如果需要，你可以抽出一部分時間——畢竟，你是老板——但是
，你不工作就得不到錢。

7. 由you於yu為wei自zi己ji工gong作zuo的de靈ling活huo性xing很hen受shou歡huan迎ying，越yue來lai越yue多duo的de雇gu主zhu提ti供gong了le彈dan性xing工gong作zuo時shi間jian和he遠yuan程cheng工gong作zuo的de選xuan擇ze。你ni可ke以yi享xiang受shou到dao為wei自zi己ji工gong作zuo的de很hen多duo好hao處chu
，又you不bu必bi放fang棄qi定ding期qi獲huo得de的de薪xin水shui。

我的結論

做自由職業者，顧問，經營自己的生意並不適合所有的人。盡管雇主為降低成本耍些像暫停為你的401(k) 帳戶充值這樣的小花招，為雇主工作還是有些安全保證的。也就是說，如果你對這些保證感到滿意，我想現在就有很多機會：jiuliandagongsiyezaiqiuzhuyuziyouzhiyezheheguwenyisheng，taolunyinjieyuechengbenershenshouqihaideguyuanmendegongzuoliangwenti。nazhongxuanzedouxuyaorenzhenzaixidekaolv

，bunengqinglvdizuochujueding。

在很多情況下，我列舉的利與弊會起反作用。我提到，如果你自己經營生意，就不會有帶薪休假這樣的事——如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)專(zhuan)心(xin)地(di)創(chuang)造(zao)被(bei)動(dong)收(shou)入(ru)

，就(jiu)能(neng)輕(qing)而(er)易(yi)舉(ju)地(di)避(bi)免(mian)受(shou)到(dao)負(fu)麵(mian)影(ying)響(xiang)。這(zhe)主(zhu)要(yao)看(kan)你(ni)的(de)專(zhuan)業(ye)
，還(hai)有(you)你(ni)在(zai)經(jing)營(ying)自(zi)己(ji)的(de)公(gong)司(si)時(shi)是(shi)否(fou)能(neng)自(zi)我(wo)約(yue)束(shu)。做(zuo)出(chu)決(jue)定(ding)之(zhi)前(qian)，研(yan)究(jiu)一(yi)下(xia)你(ni)所(suo)有(you)的(de)選(xuan)擇(ze)。甚(shen)至(zhi)你(ni)可(ke)能(neng)要(yao)考(kao)慮(lv)做(zuo)做(zuo)試(shi)運(yun)行(xing)：有很多行業，即使你還在打工掙錢，也可以先行試做。