Become self-employed

A company can be set up quickly. Business cards can be printed easily and cheaply, and a website is also online in no time. The real challenge in independence is to be successful with your business concept for the long term. The fact that many young entrepreneurs fail in this challenge, demonstrates the following characteristics.

Start-ups: In Switzerland, around 11,000 new companies founded a year. About 95% of new businesses employ 1-4 people.

Survival rate: Less than three out of four companies to survive the second year. Practically every other company goes under after five years.

Bankruptcies: In Switzerland, approximately 11,000 companies declare themselves bankrupt every year. Bankruptcy-related losses amount to 3 - 4.7 billion francs a year.

Size: 88% of all companies in Switzerland are so-called micro-enterprises (up to 9 employees). 99.7% belong to the SME category (up to 249 employees).

Legal form: Nearly half of all businesses are sole proprietorships.

In addition to the risks and difficulties, there are also many opportunities for the self-employed: There are few entrepreneurs who complain about their status. Employees of large companies, however, are often unsatisfied. It may therefore be worthwhile to at least consider the option of your own company. But what do you need?

Honest answers to the following questions provide a sound basis for your decision:

• Why do I want to be self-employed?
• What goals do I want to achieve through self-employment?
• Do I have all the necessary skills to build a business and to establish it in the market?
• Is my previous track record enough to create confidence among potential customers?
• Do I have an amiable entrepreneurial personality?
• Am I ready to implement my goals even against resistance?
• Can I manage my available resources sensibly?
• Can I keep my head in turbulent situations?
• Can I motivate myself and deal confidently with setbacks?
• What is my financial capacity?
• What do important people in my life (partner, family, friends) think about my planned self-employment?

Do you therefore have to be born as a ready-made entrepreneur? Certain conditions must be fulfilled for a successful entrepreneurial activity. It is usually an advantage if you become self-employed in an area, in which you are already specialised. A certain degree of extroversion makes it easier to talk to people. Also an understanding of the personal environment, your own perseverance and the ability to deal with disappointments can facilitate the start into entrepreneurship.

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