Running your own company is hard work. It is arguably one of life’s hardest tasks. Your social life and career will have to be put on the back burner. You may risk losing everything you invest. So there must be some very good reasons why someone would want to start their own businesses. Here are five good ones.

Picking your hours is the first big reason. If you have a busy life and large family, this is an excellent reason. Life commitments can even come first. No need to worry about being ticked off for being late to work. Running your own business can give you the flexibility to spend more time with family and concentrate on what makes you happy. Although there are many that would argue that otherwise, there is no point in running a business. Do be aware on the other side of the spectrum, in emergencies or busy periods, a business is something that will dictate the hours you work.

Having loads of money is probably the attraction for most people! Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does make things easier! Working for someone else you are limited to a set salary. Even bonuses don’t go far. If you make a success of your business you have the key to earn millions. Money is the biggest reason people start a new business.

There are a number of motivators according to Organisational Psychology. For some people, their tonic is success. Thus some people start a business purely because they are driven and want to achieve things. These kind of people tend to go further in business. The tell tale sign of a success driven person is an appetite that cannot be stopped.

Some business men and women have a company because of the image it creates for them. The suits, the meetings. They love being able to tell people they own their own company. Image drives people to run a business. What happens when the novelty fades though?

Who doesn’t hate being told what to do? Even worse, being ordered by someone not up to their job. Have you ever worked for a boss like that? Therefore, one big motivating factor of starting your own business is the promise of being your own boss.

It is important to think of the reasons why not to start your own company. The stress, the long hours, the responsibility. Starting your own business is not all plain sailing. The other thing to consider as above- what happens if the novelty of a reason suddenly wears off? It’s important you have more than one reason to start a business, otherwise you will most likely fail. If there are more good reasons than bad, then it’s perhaps time to start thinking about a company formation.

When running a new business, you will quickly find out people are in some cases absolutely stark raving mad. From the customer that cries, to the nutter that turns up at your home, you will meet all sorts off weird people. Here are some of the bad cookies you can expect to be dealing with.

Our first problem customer is the know-it-all customer. He or she is a world leading expert with PHD in what they are paying you to do. Beware this customer, for their knowledge and intelligence would make Einstein turn in his grave. The know-it-all customer doesn’t need you- you are beneath them. Ironically, this kind of customer is the most prone to breaking things. Of course, you might have guessed- they are never at fault.

If you are a fan of soap operas, you will be familiar with the melodramatic customer. They will manage to panic at the most insignificant of things. While the melodramatic customer isn’t a bad apple, they are generally a pain. Due to their constant mood of sheer terror, nothing will wait over the weekend. Witness a nervous breakdown when things really go wrong. Normally this is over something incredibly minor. Wait for them to cry down the phone to you!

The royalty customer is king (or queen!). Given the opportunity, they’d love to sign their emails in royal ink. It will be like planning a state visit when you do anything for this customer. They are also on a constant watch out, when you might slip up and not communicate with them with the utmost respect. You are a lesser being to this customer! The royalty customer also assumes that all your other customers are largely insignificant and are to be served after they have finished. This is the customer you would love to meet down a dark alleyway.

We will move onto the cheap-ass customer shortly, because they are very often combined with the devious customer. The devious customer is on a constant watch of your website. Beware running special offers, because this customer will want a price match! In their world you and your competitors are all over priced. They are always moaning how expensive you are, and are always dodging their bills.

The devious customer is our final contestant. Similar to the cheap customer, but with a nasty side. They will twist any situation to their own advantage. They will employ every underhand tactic to get their own way. As with the above customers, it is best to turn away their business given a choice! There are many good customers though. Problem customers are a minority.