Freedom First

CHAPTER 12Freedom is having more choices

You are a business already.

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.

Napoleon Bonaparte

‘Okay, so I can see why I’d want to be a specialist instead of a generalist; and to be honest, it’s a bit of a relief to have permission to focus on my real estate photography instead of offering to do every type of photography. It’s a bit scary though, to think that might mean I miss out on some bookings early on.

‘If I’m going to focus on doing real estate photography, do I have to come up with a unique angle? I mean, why are people going to book me unless I offer something different?’ Melissa asked.

‘I know it might seem easy to you,’ she continued ‘but the thought of starting a business is so alien to me — where do you even start?’

‘Well, the easiest answer to both those questions is to realise that you are a business already,’ I replied.

Often when faced with starting a business, it’s the scary ‘unknowns’ that stop a lot of people before they’ve even started: ‘How will I deal with tax?’, ‘Do I need to know a lot of legal stuff?’ — practical things that seem daunting at first from the outside. Coming up, I’ll give you an insight into how the tax system really works, but the truth is that a lot of these ‘procedural’ concerns aren’t the hurdles most people fear.

You are a business already

If you think back to your education and then to your first job, how much of your education prepared you for the ...