Five steps to becoming your own boss

Self-employment puts you in the driving seat of your own career, and comes with many benefits. From being in control of your own time and where you place your energies, to being able to focus on your true interests and passions, the desire to start up a business for yourself is on the rise again. 

If you're considering becoming your own boss, read on for our handy guide to help you take those first steps into the world of working for yourself.

1. Think about the industry you’d like to work in

This doesn’t necessarily have to be in the same industry you’ve previously worked in. Though experience is important, you can transfer your skills to an industry you have always had an interest and passion for. For example, if you’re currently working in the finance industry but have always had a passion for education, starting a business in the education sector may be the right path for you.

2. Think about the type of business you’d like to start
This will depend on your budget, timescale and goals. For those interested in starting a brand, your first goal could be to develop the product or service you plan to provide and then build brand awareness. Alternatively, for those who prefer less risk, and potentially more of an immediate return on investment, working with an established franchise brand may be more suited to you. Accordingly, if you had a passion for education, you could invest £3,000 and start your own franchised Kumon tuition centre, speeding up the process of establishing your business and allowing you to operate using the world-renowned learning product, with the support of a global organisation.     

3. Carry out research
For all business start-ups, you’re advised to carry out your own research before starting. Who are your potential customers and how will you reach them? What marketing tactics do your competitors use? Aim to identify the best conditions for achieving your business goals. At Kumon, we carry out in-depth analysis for various locations to identify the best local markets to open our new centres. We encourage our new franchisees to walk through their chosen area and find venues which meet their criteria. Great venues are usually known by the local community for hosting similar activities, are 5-10 minutes’ walk from schools or child-care centres and have good visibility to passers-by. This kind of research gives you and your regional team full confidence in the location you choose.

4. Make a move
Research and planning are important, but if you never make the first move it will remain another idea on your wish-list. There are practical and rational reasons to cautiously approach starting a new business, but fear of the unknown should not be one of them. Building a business plan will help you identify the financial risk and commitment required. Kumon provides all successful Orientation Meeting participants with business plan templates. Making a move with Kumon might simply be to reach out to the Franchise Team for a chat. Kumon has a team of Franchise Executives dedicated to discussing our opportunity with anyone interested – Call Now.

5. Get trained or qualified
Training is not compulsory in many fields, but it’s good to ensure you have as much knowledge of the field you are entering as possible. This can be on-the-job training or a suitable course, completed in advanced. Qualifications help support consumer confidence, as do checks and certificates that relate to the standard of service you’ll be providing. For example; in education, a DBS check is lawfully required in many cases because it relates to child safeguarding policies. At Kumon, we ensure all centre staff are DBS checked and franchisees must meet our mandatory requirements to be accepted; having a level 6 or degree qualification, owning a UK driving licence and having no visa restrictions. We provide a thorough 10-day training programme for all franchisees to ensure they deliver our service in the way it was designed to be delivered, followed by further advanced training and extensive ongoing support.

If you’re curious about becoming your own boss and you'd like to find out more about joining Kumon as the Instructor of your own community-based study centre, you can find more information linked here for Ireland and here for the rest of the UK. You can check your suitability on the Instructor Candidate Quick Checker and submit your contact details. We'll be in touch with you very soon.