Working for Yourself with Ticket to Work
When you hear the word “self-employment,” what comes to mind? Owning a brick-and-mortar store? Working in your own space—maybe a studio in your own home? Spending time doing something you love? Being your own boss? All of these may be associated with self-employment. Does the prospect of being responsible for how you earn your living appeal to you? Today we’ll talk about the many ways you can work for yourself, what makes for successful self-employment, and resources that can help you make self-employment a reality.
What are examples of self-employment?
Self-employment comes in many forms. For example, you could:
- Own a business. This could be owning a brick-and-mortar store, working out of your own home or selling products online.
- Be an independent consultant. Instead of providing services to just one business client, you can provide your services to many. Independent consultants usually have contracts with clients to provide specialized expertise.
- Work as a freelancer. A freelancer often provides a specific type of product or service such as web development, photography, data entry, translation, programming, etc. Often, assignments are short term or temporary with multiple clients.
What are some benefits of self-employment?
Some obvious advantages of working for yourself include increased control and flexibility as well as personal satisfaction.
- Control. You choose your clients, work colleagues, work environment, accommodations, and what type of work you do. You can also choose how much to charge for your work based on your experience and mastery of your skill.
- Flexibility. You make your own work schedule and set your business hours based on client needs. This flexibility allows you to manage transportation needs and schedule around important events, personal activities, holidays, etc.
- Satisfaction. When you like what you do, and you get paid for it, you satisfy your passion for the work and gain financial rewards.
What defines successful self-employment?
Another word for self-employment could be “entrepreneurship.” To consider whether self-employment is for you, let’s look at the most common characteristics among successful entrepreneurs. A few that rate most highly are attributes like motivation, creativity, discipline, resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to accept some risk. An entrepreneur needs a vision of their business’ purpose and a practical plan to achieve its goal.
What's next?
If you think self-employment may be your path to a successful work journey, there are many paths you can consider.
- Find a mentor. One of the most helpful paths is to find a mentor. A mentor is someone who has gone through a similar process as you and can share their real-life experiences. They can help you develop your own business goals as well as help you create your business plan and forecast financial needs. One way to find a mentor is by visiting SCORE. SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides free and confidential business mentoring services to prospective and established small business owners in the United States. You can type in your zip code to find free available mentors in your area.
- Visit online resources. Many organizations offer free resources to help you as you plan, launch, and grow your business including counseling, mentoring, education, and business plan development.
- Small Business Administration. The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides resources that can help you plan your business, launch your business and even get free business counseling. You can also find ways to get loans and other financial advice.
- National Disability Institute. The Small Business Hub section of the National Disability Institute provides several online resources including free one-on-one counseling, help creating your business plan, and events for small business owners or potential owners.
- Job Accommodation Network. The Job Accommodation Network offers the State Small Business and Self-Employment Guides as a resource for finding SBA offices and affiliated programs.
- U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor offers a section for Small Business and Self-Employment for people who have questions about self-employment and its potential advantages for people with disabilities.
- Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program. The Ticket Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSDI/SSI) and want to work. Through this free and voluntary program, eligible participants can work with service providers to receive the services and supports they need to help start their entrepreneurial journeys, such as business counseling, identifying funding resources, and finding business mentors.
Learn More
To learn more about the Ticket to Work Program, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842. For callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, call 1-866-833-2967 (TTY). Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. You can also email us at TicketToWork@ssa.gov or visit choosework.ssa.gov.
