Starting my own company was something I never thought I would do when I first embarked on my career.
Even during that first year, I thought, “I’ll contract and maybe, eventually, work for another agency or brand.”
Six years later, here I am.
When I started, I had a lot of questions. Who will be my team? How will I pay for all the platforms and resources I need? What will I offer clients that an agency cannot? How will billing and sustainability work?
And, perhaps most importantly, what am I actually doing? Here’s what I learned.
The Questions I Had at the Start
Who will be my team?
Answer: I had a sea of talented people to pick from that I had worked with at previous agencies. The choice was easy.
How will I pay for all the platforms and resources I need?
That was an investment for sure. But platforms like Cision, HubSpot, Sprout Social and others set me apart and validated my approach. Sometimes you have to spend money to build the infrastructure that allows you to do your best work.
What will I offer clients that an agency cannot?
Easy: I won’t sell them things they don’t need.
I also won’t follow trends just because everyone else is doing it. I’m not going to push a client into a plan that doesn’t fit their business simply because it’s the “next big thing.”
That’s not strategy. That’s selling.
How will billing and sustainability work?
I worked through this as I started to get short-term projects, new leads and retainer work requests. How many hours goes into something? What can I offer? What costs can I eat to “sweeten the deal”?
There’s a constant balancing act between delivering value and making sure the business itself is sustainable.
What is my schedule?
Where are my clients based? What projects am I working on? When can I fit in mental health breaks and days off?
Where do I get clients?
Early on, I used LinkedIn and Upwork. But honestly, word of mouth and my reputation for clean-up, strategy and conversion did me a lot of favors.
Your reputation can become your best marketing tool.
The Positives
You’re Your Own Boss
I was never very good at following someone else’s rules. Not when it comes to building a career that affects how I am as a wife, a mother, a friend, and a client-facing executive.
I know when I need to step back, when it’s time to walk away and when it’s time to push harder. I know how I work best.
That can be difficult to navigate when you’re following someone else’s dream, rules and processes.
And honestly, that’s not a knock on them. They deserve to build a team that believes in their vision and wants to follow their process.
I’ve just realized that I’m better suited to building my own.
You’re Constantly Evolving
What is better? Nothing in the marketing and communications industry.
Flexibility and knowledge land you the clients you want.
The minute you stop learning is the minute you start falling behind. New platforms, new technology, new consumer behaviors and new ways of communicating mean there is always something to figure out.
For a business owner, that can be exhausting.
It can also be really fun.
You Can Make Space for Your Mental Health
Some days, I realize I need to just go for a walk and read a book. That may mean I work on a Saturday or work past dinner time because I took that break during the day. And that is OK.
Being your own boss doesn’t mean working every second of every day. It means understanding how you work best and building a schedule that allows you to do your best work.
You Get to Look Back and Say, “Wow.”
My life has completely changed over the past six years, and I could not be more thankful that I had the backbone to try and do this. Every day I know how lucky I am and think, “Wow. Pinch me.” I don’t take that feeling for granted.
The Negatives
Now for the part nobody puts on the inspirational Instagram graphic.
You’re the leader, the cleanup crew, the decision-maker, the one to blame, the one who has to deliver the bad news and the one who has to initiate change when change is hard. You’re responsible when things go right and even more responsible when they don’t.
Being your own boss sounds glamorous until you realize there’s no one else to pass the buck to. This is not for the weak.
It takes grit, resilience, humility and a willingness to keep showing up, even when you’re tired, uncertain or scared.
And vacation? Ummmmm. You are always checking. Always taking calls. Always available. You can’t help yourself!
That’s one of the hardest things to navigate. When the business is yours, it’s incredibly difficult to shut it off completely. There is always one more email, one more client question or one more thing you could be doing.
So you have to learn when enough is enough.
So, How Do You Navigate It?
There isn’t a perfect formula for owning a business in 2026. The climate is constantly changing, and what worked six years ago may not work today.
But a few things have stayed consistent for me:
Know your value.
Know what your clients actually need, not just what you can sell them.
Keep learning.
Build relationships before you need them.
Protect your reputation.
Know when to push and when to step back.
And give yourself permission to build a business that actually works for your life. Because that’s ultimately the biggest benefit of being your own boss. You get to decide what success looks like. And six years in, I’m still figuring that out. I suspect I always will be. And honestly? I’m OK with that.
The biggest question I get is, “How do I get started? Where do I start?”
I’m always happy to meet with anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur, but a good place to start is by following my Instagram at Jamison Communications. You’ll find a lot of answers and tips there.
Navigating business in 2026 isn’t easy. Having the right strategy can make it a whole lot easier. Need a partner in your corner? I’ve got you.