Is the Grass Actually Greener?

Last week, I (Sophie) had an interesting chat with a fellow business owner in Good Egg’s DMs. We were talking about how employed life often seems ‘easier’ than being self-employed, but is the grass really greener on the other side?

This May will mark nine years since I quit my last ‘proper job’ to attempt to build a freelance writing career (spoiler: that move worked out pretty well).

I refer to this anniversary as my own personal Independence Day because it was the moment I finally broke free from a life that gave me very little happiness. And, other than a few minor wobbles, I’ve never regretted that decision.

After I quit my job, I spent six months in Medellin, Colombia, working on starting my freelance career (and developing the best tan of my life)

A Wandering Eye

Over the past nine years, I’ve worked for myself in various capacities. I started off doing bits of freelance writing here and there before spending a couple of years as a contracted project manager for an animation company. More recently, I’ve become one half of Good Egg.

I’ve loved freelance/biz owner life in all its forms, and I know in my gut that this is the right lifestyle for me. But it doesn’t stop my eye from wandering.

When I look at my employed pals, I see a group of people who have a steady income, job security, and a more certain future than I do. They have one job to do (aka their actual job) and never have to worry about creating marketing content or filing tax returns or the many other tasks that come with running your own business.

I often imagine what it must be like to know exactly how much money you’ll make each month, and I regularly try to manifest an existence where I never have to deal with HMRC.

But what I don’t stop to consider when I’m in the midst of one of these comparative daydreams is how our metaphorical self-employed lawn might look to others.

A dreamy day working remotely in Mexico in 2022 💚

Good Egg is Very Good at Throwing Staff Parties

When I return my gaze to my own garden, I realise things are pretty lush over here, too. And in fact, maybe our grass looks greener to others now and then?

For example, Holly and I went to Primavera festival in Barcelona for our ‘staff Christmas party’ last year (Holly is based in Vietnam and I’m in the UK, so our two-person Xmas parties are often at strange times). The previous year’s festivities were in Singapore, and the year before that, we visited Laos and Cambodia.

The best staff party I ever had from an employer was a few cheap bottles of wine and a beige buffet in the office.

We also have the freedom to decide which direction we want to take our business in, and who we want to work with (fellow good eggs only, please). We’re able to prioritise how doing business feels and focus on hitting our own personal goals rather than those of our employers.

Flexing our chef skills at a cooking class in Laos for our 2023 staff Christmas party

How Is Your Own Garden Looking?

So, is the grass actually greener? Sometimes, it probably is, yes. Nothing is perfect, and most of us will always be left wanting more freedom/security/creative control, etc., at points in our careers.

But that’s ok. Comparison is normal, and in this case, I think it’s helpful. It allows me to see where my lawn might be yellowing (e.g., unpredictable monthly income) and needs a little extra attention (e.g., focusing more on our forecasting).

If, like me, you sometimes feel like the grass is greener, let’s make a digital pinky promise to work on this together. Because if we spend our energy watering our own gardens, who knows what might bloom in them.

Sophie & Holly
(The Good Eggs) x