Have you ever thought about why companies exist? If you have then you’ve probably realised that companies exist to make money. They aren’t there to make money for their employee’s, oh hell no, they are there to make money for their owners.

We all know (at least I hope you know) that companies make their money by selling the product or service they create for more than it costs to produce.

Have you ever realised that this also applies to your salary too?

You’re only getting paid x amount because you’re adding > x in value to the company.

Say for example you’re being paid a salary of £20k a year, you’re only being paid that because you are adding more value than the amount you are getting paid. So on a £20k salary you could be adding £25K, £30K, £60K worth of value to the company.

This is why you won’t get the value of your salary. If you do, then the company is essentially making a loss by employing you. Ok I’m sure there are plenty of examples of this happening, for example start ups, the NHS, not for profit companies, or social enterprises, but I’m sure you understand my point.

So when I was working for a company, I felt I was working hard to make someone else rich. This is one of my favourite quotes below.

My boss pulled up in his brand new BMW today and I couldn’t help but admire it.

“Nice car,” I said as he got out.

“Well,” he said, noticing my admiring looks, “Work hard, put the hours in, and I’ll have an even better one next year.”

The reason I love this so much, is because it’s true! You’re working hard so the person above you in the organisation can get their bonus, they are doing the same for their boss and so is the person above and so on. The people making the money are the owners.

726 of the richest 1,000 entries in the Sunday Times Rich List 2012 are self-made millionaires. I wouldn’t mind betting that those 726 people didn’t make the list by being an employee at a company.

So I’ve decided that I want to earn the full value of my salary, to do this I became the owner of a business, I went self employed. I’m not sure if I’ll become a millionaire (I wouldn’t say no), I just want to make enough to live and do the things I want.

There are of course downsides too, I don’t have a guaranteed income, I’ve gone a few months before barely making any money at all. I don’t get company bonuses, I don’t get company benefits such as sick pay, or free lunches etc.

This route certainly isn’t the path for everyone, some people are better working for others. Most businesses fail within the first year, but I’m sure if you can make it work then the rewards will be worth it.

From a young age we are taught that the key to life is to work hard at school, get a good job, work long hours, get promoted and then you will be happy. The problem is, most of us believed it.

The truth is, we work in jobs we don’t like, or in jobs that we hate, jobs that suck the life, soul and personality out of you. People get depressed, and people end up in debt.

I know this isn’t true for everyone, some people love their job, but for a lot of people it is true. You’re a slave to the corporate world, or job that you work in, you’re not free.

You may think I’m being extreme here, but according to TheFreeDictionary.com slavery is

“a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune“

Think about that for a second, who do you ask when you want time off work (liberty), and who controls the amount you get paid (fortune)?

The definition of ‘free’ from the same website is

“Not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes”

So are you free? Chances are no.

How To Be Free

Some people say that money buys you happiness, I am not so sure, but one thing I am sure of is that it certainly brings you freedom. Freedom to do what you want, and when you want. To be a free man you need to remove two main restrictions, firstly lack of money, and secondly you need to get rid of your boss.

If you have both of these in your life then you’ll never be free.

So I guess you’re probably thinking that because I have written this post that I must be a free man. I am not there yet, I have a part-time job that requires 2/3 hours work a day, but this job means I can work remotely anywhere in the world. I am currently writing this post in Riga in Lativa, and I am continuing to carry on with both my own work and part-time job while I am here.

I am certainly more free than I used to be, and I am sure one day I will be fully free. I am not making loads of money at the moment, but things are just beginning to come together. Aside from this, I can’t begin to tell you how much more rewarding it is working on your own business as opposed to someone else’s.

If you want to be free too then I recommend the below resources.

Resources

The book Get Out While You Can by George Marshall
Bricks and bread who offer start up loans and free business mentoring to get your own business going.

Those that know me know that I’m a big fan of Calvin Harris, but it seems that one of his favourite songs of mine I’m Not Alone has been plagiarised yet again!

For those of you that haven’t heard I’m Not Alone (don’t let me know you haven’t heard it because I won’t want to speak to you again) which was released in 2009 here it is in all it’s glory below.

The first instance was Chris Brown’s song Yeah 3x. The below video shows a comparison. Brown later added Harris’s name to the song writing credits.

The second instance is far more obvious, and this time it’s JLS Eyes Wide Shut which was released in February 2011. I’ve managed to get the video to start at the exact point where they have ripped off Calvin’s song, because I know nobody wants to listen to their shit.

It happened again in May 2011, this time it was Cobra Starship with their song You Make Me Feel Good.

The most recent instance is from a DJ called Jakwob, and his song Fade which was released earlier this month. Listen carefully and you’ll hear the melody from I’m Not Alone at a slower tempo.

Calvin tweeted the below.

@jakwob @hervespace you lifted my chords from i’m not alone but don’t worry about it i really like them!! Lovely track too

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) March 22, 2013

I’d be pretty pissed off if I was Calvin! But he seems to be handling it all quite well in my opinion. Despite being a fan I still haven’t seen him live, need to sort that one out!