What do you think of when somebody says 'work' to you? Wearing a shirt and tie in a city office, stuck behind a computer screen until 5? Taking orders from someone higher than you on a daily basis? For some, that may very well be the case, but that doesn't mean work has to be like that for you. Over four million people in the UK choose to become self-employed rather than work for 'the man', but what's all the fuss about?

What exactly is self-employment?

Basically, what it says on the tin. People who choose to be self-employment work for themselves, rather than a company or superior, meaning that they have full responsibility for the business or service they have established. A self-employed person works whenever they decide, instead of adhering to a set schedule or rota as a regularly employed person usually would. The self-employed person also handles financial aspects, such as choosing what income to allocate as a wage. However, being self-employed is not always a one-man venture. Many hire other staff to help grow their business or service, contracting them as a large company would.

Why do people do it?

The main reason people choose to go the self-employed route is to be their own boss. Not having to listen to somebody bark orders at you all day is a pretty big advantage to regular employment, meaning you can handle work however you want to. Want to work from the sofa in your pyjamas today? No problem! You can decide when you want holidays, days off or if you fancy going home early and nobody can stop you. Another distinct advantage of self-employment is that you don't have to actually 'go' to work at all! Web-based professionals, such as web designers and bloggers, can do their job from the comfort of their own armchair, giving them an additional freedom and flexibility. There's also no threat from being sacked or disciplined and no strict deadlines to stick to.

You can also decide how hard you actually want to work. If you want your small local-based fashion business to be mentioned in the same sentence as Prada and Armani in so many years, you're going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than somebody who's running a personal hairdressing company for just enough to survive on.

If it's so great, why doesn't everyone do it?

To quote an old proverb, "one man's meat is another man's poison." Essentially, some people may not like the thought of all of the additional responsibility that comes with self-employment. Unless you've hired some staff to carry out all of the nitty-gritty tasks that nobody likes, the chances are that it's going to beyouwho ends up doing them. This also means taking care of your own accounts, including sorting through receipts and invoices to get the numbers right. Most companies hire an accountant or bookkeeper to sort the accounts out for them, so guess who's lumped with the paperwork if you're self-employed?

Another reason may be the loneliness that comes with being self-employed. If you work from home, it's unlikely that you're going to meet new people regularly, apart from the random meeting here and there. Most of your time will be spent in front of a laptop at home, with nobody to keep you company (unless you start up with your partner, but usually they'll be off doing a 'real' job). You work, have dinner, relax and sleep in the same place, which can easily frustrate people, even giving a slight feeling of cabin fever!

Plus, all those lie-ins and days off may sound great, but remember, you only get as much out if you put in! If you decide to take a half-day on Friday, you'll have to make it up sometime in the near future!

What skills will I need to be self-employed?

As well as relevant qualifications are certifications for specialist professions, such as veterinary work, to start your own business, you'll need to possess most, if not all, of these traits:

• Passion - You need to be completely head-over-heels-in-love about your project. If you're not really that bothered about it, you won't feel motivated to succeed, which will inevitably cause your business to fail. It can be hard to stay passionate when stress gets to you, but remember that it's all worth it to be doing something you love.
• Creativity - Everybody's looking for gaps in the market and your business needs to fill a gap in some way. You need to think of a unique idea or product as it's immensely harder to compete with established companies. Even if your business is not reinventing the wheel, put a fresh spin on an existing idea or product or take it in a new direction.
• Commitment - If you want your business to succeed, you're going to have to work hard for it. That might mean working sixty-hour weeks, living, sleeping and breathing your work, which can be stressful. However, commitment to your company could be the difference between success and failure.
• Self-discipline - At first, you may be tempted to slack off when self-employed as no rules or restrictions can give a huge sense of freedom. This means you have to mentally prepare yourself to be dedicated to the company and to stay on track of your work rate.
• Risk-taking - No business ever succeeded by playing it safe. The trick to risk-taking is finding the balance between adventurous and reckless. Don't be afraid to push yourself now to better things greatly in the future. This also means living with any negative consequences that you may experience, due to a miscalculated move.
• Realistic - You're not going to be a millionaire overnight. You must be able to determine what goals and milestones are realistic and if they can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time. Telling yourself that you're going to shift a billion copies of your new mobile phone accessory in the first week is not an accurate prediction.
• Organisation - When you're self-employed, you need to be able to take care of everything. This means remembering to replace the ink in the printer, replying to the promoter's email, juggling multiple tasks at once and, of course, making time for personal stuff. Sticking to self-set deadlines is a must when running your own business.
• Commercial knowledge -You need to be able to understand the market that you're in and how it works. Do you know how to attract customers? Do you know how to retain customers? Do you know how to turn a profit? Can you recognise and take advantage of customer trends?
• Networking - Social events and gatherings can be a perfect opportunity for you to market your business or product, plus a chance to meet existing customers (great) or speak to potentially new ones (even better). Remember that constantly putting yourself in those social situations is a task in itself and turning it into income is a fantastic bonus.