I keep thinking about the stated reasons women make less then men, and the differences between being salaried and self-employed. (In my previous post, the article mentioned negotiation skills, choosing lower paying work and lack of childcare as reasons that contribute to the pay gap.) Many women chose self-employment to help balance work with family, an important element of self-employment. But self-employment is not just about flexibility. We have to make good money, or we will have to go back to the corporate world. For those of us who are self-employed, we MUST keep on top of our negotiation skills and we must make sure we are pursuing work that pays well. So ask yourself: where is the money? Don’t launch a new service only because you see a need or it sounds interesting. Where is the money? Of all the services you could offer, which one pays the best? A profitable business will keep you self-employed! The world will be our oyster if, as self-employed women, we maintain flexible schedules, learn to ask for what we want (negotiate) and focus on having profitable businesses.