Good morning to you all! Today I will write about starting my own business, how this all happened and why I chose to do so.
So, as you might know or experience now, children with Poretti Boltshauser Syndrome develop and learn on their own pace. They don’t really fit in with the paths that other children have, in terms of learning how to walk, talk, ride a bycicle or learn how to read. And let me tell you that that is perfectly fine!
No fit
When I grew up, I already noticed that I didn’t really fit into groups. I think I noticed I was different for the first time when I was like six years old. At that age all you want to be is normal. But the more I grew up, the more I realized that I don’t want to be normal or like the rest.
Now, society has its way to put everyone in boxes. It’s almost like you have to fit in a box for the help you need. I had trouble finding a good therapist because most of then were only specialized in autism, or only in anxiety, or only in learning problems. But there didn’t seem to be anyone who knew about all of it. The same goes with guidance. My mother eventually found someone with her own company who could help me with all things, not just the autism related things.
Fitting in boxes
There’s also this misconception that what works for one person with autism or anything else, works for all of them. This is simply not true and can make a person very insecure. While how I see it, everyone is unique, one person with autism is not the other, and you should treat everyone as an individual.
So basically my whole life I never fit in boxes. I wasn’t a typical autistic person, I wasn’t a typical disabled person even. Sometimes people don’t even believe I have something unless I tell them. So when I got to the point of education after high school I was at a loss of what to do. Eventually I found this learning-and-working program that could help me out and get me a job at the end, so they said.
Find my own way
Off I went, to become a content manager. I did my internships but it wasn’t long until I found out that I didn’t fit the true description of a content manager. You need to have a way with words, which I have, but you also have to be good with things like Photoshop, Indesign, etc. Which I am really not.
So the idea of starting my own business popped up in my head. Let’s just turn it around! I can tell the companies what I can do, and they can say that they need that or not. I am doing a variety of things right now, and they are all things I am good at. For one company, I update their website and make pages for great findability in Google. For another, I do social media (Facebook, Instagram) and for another I put together content for news letters.
The pros and cons
This way I made my own boxes! And you should too. Don’t compare yourself or your child to others, but find your own way. For me, working as the owner of my own business is perfect. I am my own boss, I make my own hours. I can take a break if I want to and I can take assignments if I want to. Oh and the pay is double of what I earned when I worked for a company.
The only downside to all of this is the administration I have to do, the taxes (21%) I pay over my hours, the not saving for retirement and not being insured when I become sick or anything. But my income is for something extra, because my husband works fulltime. But I just love to have my own money to spend and to be independent!
I hope you enjoyed reading this and see you soon!
Alissa