Being self-employed is not a flex (here’s why)

Have you ever heard the saying, “Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week”?

I used to think of it as a badge of honor.

Then as I was talking to a friend of mine about the sabbatical she took to travel with her son’s soccer team, I realized, while being self-employed SOUNDS good, it’s not a flex.

Let me explain.

Years ago, I read Robert Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, where he talked about the Cashflow Quadrant:

E = Employee (you have a job)
S = Self-Employed (you own a job)
B = Business Owner (you own a system)
I = Investor (you own investments)

The Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki showing four business models: Employee (E), Self-Employed (S), Business Owner (B), and Investor (I), illustrating how income relates to active work in each quadrant. — The traditional Cashflow Quadrant – but here’s what’s missing for healthcare practice owners…

Without knowing it, most healthcare professionals move from E to S.

You leave your staff job, hang your shingle, build a practice. You’re your own boss now, which means freedom, right?

🙅🏽‍♀️ Not exactly.

Because in the S quadrant, you are still trading time for money. Your income still depends on your active work, which means you can’t slack off and you can’t take 30 days off without losing money.

So, you escaped the Employee quadrant…only to find yourself in Self-Employed.

The Problem with the Original Cashflow Quadrant

That book came out in 1997, so here’s what’s missing from the traditional quadrant.

The Cashflow Quadrant Expanded with Lifestyle Business (L) quadrant, showing the path from self-employed to business freedom for healthcare practice owners. — The missing piece: The Lifestyle Business (L) quadrant – where your business fuels your life, not the other way around.

There’s actually a space BETWEEN Self-Employed and Business Owner that most people don’t know exists.

I call it the Lifestyle Business (L) quadrant.

And here’s what makes it different from Self-Employed:

In the L quadrant, your income doesn’t solely depend on your active work. You’ve built a system based on your IP and contractors. You can take advantage of the digital landscape. You’re not trading time for money in the same way.

The business fuels your LIFE, not the other way around.

In the B quadrant, you own a system with employees. The business can run and grow without you because you have a team that operates independently.

Both L and B can meet what I call the 30-Day Standard – a business that can run for 30+ days without you.

The difference? L is built on your expertise + contractors. B is built on a team + documented systems.

Neither one is better. They’re just different paths.

But here’s the problem:

Most healthcare professionals are stuck in S (Self-Employed), thinking they’ve made it because they’re their own boss.

But in reality, they’re working 80 hours a week, can’t take time off, and everything depends on them showing up.

That’s not freedom. That’s just a different kind of job.

So the goal is to help you design YOUR version of a self-sustaining business – whether that’s L or B.

Want to know where YOU are right now?

Take the Business Freedom Assessment

It’s free, takes 2-3 minutes, and will show you:

The Freedom Blocker that’s keeping you tied to the day-to-day
The first 3 things to work on if you want the business to function without you
Language you can use to talk about what’s really happening, so you’re not investing in the wrong solutions

About the author

TaVona Denise

TaVona Denise is a strategic operations consultant who helps healthcare professionals build businesses that can run without them.

As a former physical therapist, clinic director, and owner of a contracting company for 13 years, TaVona learned firsthand what happens when your business depends on you for everything, first from a back injury that kept her from treating patients, and later when she lost her voice for two and a half months and had to completely change how she ran her business. That experience became the foundation for the work she does now.

She helps healthcare owners create the infrastructure and systems they need to build a business that gives them more freedom and the chance to step back when they choose, or when life demands it. Her approach addresses operations, finances, and capacity through strategic sequencing: knowing what to fix and in what order.

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