Introduction: Freedom – dream or trap?
Many people who start their own business dream of freedom: no boss, no fixed hours, complete creative freedom. But self-employment, in particular, is fraught with pitfalls—work overload, confusion, financial pressure, or isolation. Helda Unplugged episode 3, "Freedom instead of the self-employment trap: Pitfalls and solutions for founders," explores these problems and presents practical solutions.
In this blog post, I summarize the key messages from the episode, point out typical pitfalls, and give you recommendations for action so that you can shape your self-employment more freely and sustainably.
If you want to watch the whole episode:
Freedom instead of the self-employment trap: stumbling blocks and solutions for founders YouTube
The typical stumbling blocks in self-employment
1. Wanting to do everything yourself / lack of delegation
Many founders initially want to handle as many tasks as possible themselves to save costs or keep everything "under control." But in the long run, this often leads to overload, lower quality, and stalled growth.
2. Unclear roles, processes & structures
If there are no clear processes, everything becomes a matter of negotiation: Who does what? Who is responsible? This leads to inefficiency, duplication of work, frustration, and declining motivation—especially when working with partners or employees.
3. Lack of or unrealistic planning
Many start with an ideal scenario, without critical planning for worst-case scenarios. Revenue fluctuations, unforeseen expenses, or project breaks are not adequately taken into account.
4. Burnout, overwork & self-neglect
If you're constantly on the hamster wheel, don't set boundaries, or ignore breaks, you're putting your energy under constant strain. This can lead to exhaustion, loss of motivation, or health problems.
5. Customer dependency / “crowd” instead of clear positioning
If you chase the market (or individual major clients) too closely, you lose your focus. Often, you end up with a patchwork of projects without a clear brand or story.
6. Lack of scalability
If your business model only works as long as you're actively on the front lines, you're trapped by your own growth. You're limiting yourself.
Solutions & recommendations for action
1. Use delegation and outsourcing consciously
- Identify recurring, time-consuming tasks (e.g., accounting, social media, administrative work) and outsource them to external service providers or part-time employees.
- Start with small delegations and build trust.
2. Establish clear structures and processes
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for recurring processes.
- Define areas of responsibility (who decides, who executes).
- Use tools for project management, workflow automation, and documentation.
3. Robust planning & scenario preparation
- Build buffers and reserves into your financial plan for bottlenecks.
- Simulate worst-case and intermediate scenarios.
- Plan with conservative estimates.
4. Clearly regulate working hours and self-care
- Set fixed working hours and breaks – and stick to them.
- Care routines: sleep, exercise, time out.
- Learn to say no.
5. Positioning, Focus & Filter
- Sharpen your offer: Who do you want to serve? What is your benefit?
- Filter out projects that don't fit your plan, even if they're lucrative in the short term.
- Build a brand and communications line that reflects your values and direction.
6. Develop scaling models
- Consider offers that are independent of your direct time (e.g. digital products, licensing models, workshops).
- Use automation and system structures to ensure your business model grows even when you're not involved in every transaction.
- Develop team structures or partner networks so you are not alone.
Specific focus: Freedom is achieved through framework and clarity
The key is not to have as much freedom as possible, but freedom within a framework—clearly structured, with rules and boundaries. True freedom comes from discipline, planning, and clever delegation.
In Switzerland the following also applies:
- High costs & demands : If you want to work on your own, you have to start more carefully because mistakes can be expensive.
- Utilize networks and collaborations : Outsource sub-projects to Swiss partners in order to have support structures.
- Avoid reputation traps : If you work on many projects at the same time, your quality suffers – and your trust in the market.
Conclusion
The freedom you imagined with self-employment can quickly become a trap – if you don't establish structures, a plan, and boundaries. Helda Unplugged Episode 3 impressively demonstrates how you can escape these traps and provides you with concrete approaches for more sustainable, freer work.
If you are currently in a similar situation or have already had similar experiences, I would be happy to receive a comment from you!
If you want to see where your company stands in terms of sales and marketing, I recommend trying our free quiz: Sales and Marketing Success Barometer . Here, you'll receive a personalized assessment of your situation, including a report with concrete measures you can implement right away.
