Why I’m Still Self-Employed (Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense)

So, why have a title like that for a blog post? Sure, isn’t every self-employed person loaded? Living the dream, setting their own hours, taking days off whenever they like? Expensive holidays in the sun...two expensive cars in the driveway. Give me a break!

That’s the story you often hear but the reality is a little or a lot different, especially when you’re a one-person business in Ireland in 2025.

“I’ve touched on a related side of things in another post too — about why I keep blogging for my business even when it sometimes feels like nobody’s reading. Feel free to have a read when you’re done here.

A tired-looking man in his 30s sitting at a cluttered desk with his head in his hand, surrounded by paperwork, a laptop, and business materials — expressing the stress and exhaustion of running a small business.

I’ve been working for myself for years now, and while it comes with a lot of certain freedoms — it also comes with pressure, unpredictability, and moments where you genuinely wonder if getting a “real job” might just be easier. Still, I haven’t jumped ship and there are a few very good reasons why which I will explore below.

My History of Self Employment

This is actually my second stint being self-employed. My first business was as a Carpentry Contractor for seven years between 2000 and 2007. The first two years of that were extremely tough - just trying to get off the ground. I made a bit of money during the next four, but the final twelve months got steadily worse until the economy crashed in 2007 and I had to close down.

My current business as a Woodturner will hit the ten-year mark this July. I was told in the beginning: “Give it five years to establish yourself, then you’ll start making real money.”

Well, it’s been ten, where’s my money???

The Reality of Your Market

Back in school or college — I honestly don’t remember which — we learned the three basic principles of running a business:

Create something the market wants.
Do it at a profit.
Tell the market about it.

Sounds simple. But here’s the kicker…

You can love making things all day long — but if what you make isn’t needed or wanted, you won’t sell it. That was a tough lesson for a crafter like me, and I had to learn it the hard way. Early on, while I was still learning my craft, I focused on making things I wanted to make or thought would sell, instead of paying attention to what the market was actually asking for.

Even as a carpenter, I discovered that a lot of the work I did was seen as decorative, not essential, which meant people haggled for the best price and waited for just the right carpenter to come along and give them the job. But, if you wanted a new socket across the room? Suddenly, you’d throw an electrician a few hundred euro without blinking. Any electrician......any price they asked (within reason of course).

That’s the reality of wants vs needs. Wood, for example, is often seen as superfluous to life, a luxury, not a necessity. You don’t need a handcrafted bowl or pen to fulfill your life's ambitions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t matter.

The Reality Behind Being Self-Employed

For anyone who’s been an employee all their working life, you probably think you know what being self-employed is like but trust me, you don’t.

You generally don’t clock out at 5pm. You don’t get paid holidays. You end up working after “work” finishes at 5 or 6pm, and you definitely don’t get sick pay.

Some months, sales are steady. Other months, you wonder what on earth you’re doing wrong - even when nothing has changed. One good week, followed by a calamitous one. Feast or famine, as they say.

It’s a mental game as much as a financial one.

The Low Points Nobody Sees

Doing everything yourself — the marketing, packing, invoicing, chasing late deliveries. The smallest order through your site gets the same care and attention as the biggest one. All that takes time.

You ask yourself, “Will this month cover the bills?” Maybe there’ll be a surplus to draw from? Ok, not this week — maybe next week then.

Then you watch big companies overtake your search listings, not because they’re better, but because they have a better website, a full marketing department and the budget to manipulate the system.

You spend three days building a website page that you think will be an absolute diamond — and it barely gets a click. That one hurts. You tweak the same page to improve and keep it current — no change. That sucks!

And the worst of all? Doing a full week's work... and not being able to pay yourself.

Hello overdraft, hello credit card debt and goodbye to thinking I had it all figured out.

Why I Haven’t Thrown in the Towel

I’ve had jobs that were okay and others that were downright terrible in my working life. As an employee, I spent most days checking the clock to see when it was time to go home, effectively wishing my life away.

I don’t do that anymore although I do look at the clock to see if I have enough time left to see a job through on the same day. I still plan my work on the fly and try not to keep to a concrete schedule.

My last stint working for a company was rough enough to put me off employee life for good. I did try to find work during a short spell of unemployment, but no one was hiring and honestly, I think that worked out for the best. Funny how a bad economy can sometimes do you a favour.

Despite all the chaos, the doubts, and the debt, I still get up every morning and do this.
Why?

Because I built this mostly myself, from nothing (with plenty of family help, of course).
Because I don’t have to ask permission to change direction.
Because I don’t want to go backwards — back to working for someone who might not care if I sink or swim.

The truth is, most employers have their own problems, and you're very far down their list of priorities. If you’ve got a boss who’s a prince — keep them is my advice and stay put.

But me? I never want to look at the clock the same way again.

What Actually Keeps Me Going

I love making things with my hands and when the final quality check meets even my own approval, I get a very healthy glow of pride in that achievement. I never got that in an office.

Getting a kind email from a customer who loved what I made and they bought and are kind enough to give you that feedback. I never got that on a building site.

Seeing someone leave a Google review that reminds you that you're doing something worthwhile.

Having control over my day, even if it’s full and not very well compensated.

Being able to pivot, whether that’s writing a blog, launching a new off-brand product line, or just trying something different and completely off the wall. I can do that as my own boss!

Is It Worth Running a Small Business in Ireland in 2025? (Future Post alert)

Not always. If you have a well paying PAYE job and you're reasonably happy with it — stay there!

The red tape for business is thick, the costs are rising, and Google isn’t on our side anymore.

But I still believe there’s a place for small, honest businesses here, especially if you can adapt and stay scrappy.

I don’t pretend to know everything. I’ve worked in a few areas, but not all, so there are things I can’t comment on from experience. That said, most of my jobs over the years have followed a familiar pattern, and I reckon those lessons carry over into a lot of different industries.

Final Thoughts

I’m not here to tell you that being self-employed is 'Living the Dream'. I’m just saying that, for me, it’s worth it or has been worth it; even when it doesn’t make perfect sense on paper. If you are going to go down this route, do so with a song in your heart but your eyes wide open!

This road is not easy. But it’s my journey to take!

Thanks for reading, David

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