Day Job
Verse 1
People used to say I’ve got a problem with authority
But it was only jobsworth bosses that used to bother me
Sad little losers tryna act important
Who if they weren’t doing that would probably be traffic wardens
I couldn’t stand them or the office busybodies
Who’d get snotty over money in the kitty for the coffee
The final straw came when I lost my cool and shouted
“Yeah I ate your stupid biscuits, what you gonna do about it?!”
At the time getting sacked seemed like a catastrophe
But looking back it was the best thing that could of happened to me
Coz it forced me to make an important decision
Either find another job or try and be self sufficient
And I almost chose the former but I’m glad I didn’t
Coz working for myself is even more rewarding than envisioned
And now I couldn’t ever be an employee
I still hate my boss sometimes, but at least it’s me
Chorus
If you’re overworked and underpaid
And if you hate the person that runs the place
If you’re scared of getting laid off, coz you take a day off
Do yourself a favour and quit your day job
Verse 2
People thought I was crazy and tried to dissuade me
“There’s a recession on, haven’t you seen the news lately?”
Telling me statistics that I didn’t wanna hear
Like 9 out of 10 startups fail in their first year (cheers)
But I didn’t let other people’s fear discourage me
And soon I became director of my own company
We had our own website, business cards and flyers
Now the only thing that we needed was some clients
But that was easier said than done
Have you tried cold calling? It’s not much fun…
“Is Mr So and So there?” “No he’s not I’m afraid,
Can you try again tomorrow?” “That’s what you said yesterday!”
But eventually we got lucky and landed a few
– And through word of mouth they expanded and grew
I guess the sayings that you hear about business are true
Coz it’s really not about what you know but who
Chorus
If you’re overworked and underpaid
And if you hate the person that runs the place
If you’re scared of getting laid off, just coz you take a day off
Then do yourself a favour and go and quit your day job
Verse 3
We’ve grown in size now and we’ve taken on staff
When I look back at our early work it makes me laugh
We’ve gone from one-man bands to blue chip brands
And we’ve gone from charging hundreds to charging grands
But the journey hasn’t been a smooth one the whole way
You get clients who are sent to test you every day
It’s a constant struggle and when they finally pay
Along comes the taxman to take it away
And there’s been times I’ve almost walked out on it
But I’ve got business partner to thank for talking me out of it
– He said: “Every business has challenges it faces
It’s the ones that don’t give up that are the ones that make it”
And we’ve come a long way but we’ve got longer to go
What does the future have in store for us – I don’t know
But one thing that motivates me more than pounds and greed
Is knowing that whatever does happen is down to me
(Bridge)
Verse 4
My advice if you want to do this as well
Is first think long and hard about what you want to sell
– Take your time researching the market to determine
If there’s any demand for your product or service
Work out what it is about your offer that’s unique
Coz you don’t wanna just rely on your price to compete
Think about existing contacts that can help you
Coz people you already know are much easier to sell to
Try and find a like-minded business partner
Coz doing all this all by yourself will be 10 times harder
Make sure your skill sets compliment each other
So that way you know you’ve got all bases covered
Do some jobs for free or for very little money
So that you’ve got some examples and some case studies
Think about who it is you wanna work for
And when you’ve finished don’t be afraid to ask for some more
Don’t do any work without protection in place
A contract is like a condom so please play it safe
You wouldn’t go bareback that with someone you just met
Well this is the same so don’t do something you’ll regret
Be selective and don’t be scared to say no
Especially if the client’s budget is too low
The small ones will cause the most trouble you’ll find
Coz they pay the least money and take up the most time
Al-ways keep an eye on your cash flow
Coz if you run out it doesn’t matter how much you’re owed
And don’t ever forget to put some aside
So when the taxman arrives you don’t get a surprise
These are just a few of the lessons I’ve been taught
But I’m sure over time that there’ll be many more
Finally, whatever you do – enjoy
Coz if you don’t you gotta ask yourself “what is the point?”
Chorus
If you’re overworked and underpaid
And if you hate the person that runs the place
If you’re scared of getting laid off, just coz you take a day off
Then do yourself a favour and go and quit your day job