This year, hundreds of thousands of workers will get laid off. In fact, unemployment claims have just reached the highest level since 1991. One result is that many of these people will start their own businesses or become independent consultants.

        If you've been laid off, or think you may be, you may be considering going out on your own.

        It's a reasonable choice. Starting your own business can be a huge sacrifice if you've got a steady paycheck, benefits and relatively satisfying work. But if someone takes all that away from you, then you're not giving up nearly as much.

        You'll find, however, there's a big difference in being someone else's employee and working for yourself. Much of that difference is welcome and wonderful — I certainly think so, since I've been self-employed since 1986. But some of those differences are tough to get used to.

        What kinds of changes can you expect if you're going from employee to entrepreneur?

        • Money: From now on, every dollar is your dollar. Even if you have investors or partners, at the end of the day, money becomes a lot more real. Whether you're spending it or earning it, every dollar has a direct impact on your personal income and well-being.

        Even if you were a conscientious employee, always watching the company's bottom line, you're going to find you have a whole new respect for money when you're the last one paid, and every dollar spent or unearned could have ended up in your wallet.

        • Control: This is a two-edged sword. One of the best things about being your own boss is that you get to make the decisions. You no longer have to follow seemingly senseless corporate mandates. But with control comes responsibility, and you're going to find you have to make oodles of decisions.

        There are the really big decisions when you first start, such as what kind of business to go into, what kind of financing to look for, where to locate.

        But the hundreds of smaller choices can be just as intimidating — whether to exhibit at a trade show, what kind of insurance to buy, what kind of phones to get, when to hire, which tasks are most important. It can be exhausting.

        • Humility: Few things instill as much pride as earning your own living. When you do that in your own business, you have the right to be especially proud. But with that pride comes a lot of other stuff too, such as running the errands, stuffing the envelopes, apologizing to obnoxious customers, emptying the garbage.

        • Risk: Perhaps the biggest change of all is going to be your relationship to risk. When you're an employee, you're concerned with taking care of your career, and it's typically wiser to take fewer risks and thus make fewer mistakes. In your own business, however, taking fewer risks and doing less isn't an option.

        One of the greatest benefits in going from an employee to being self-employed is that you discover a lot about yourself, including the many talents and traits you never realized you had.

        Rhonda Abrams' newest book, The Successful Business Organizer, has just been released. Register for free business tips from www.RhondaWorks.com.

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