According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, self-employment rates in the U.S. have trended downward over the past two decades. But in Utah, and especially Utah County, self-employment is a trend that is holding strong.

“We’re a small business state in the state of Utah and a large percentage of those small businesses are people who are self-employed,” Val Hale, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said. “Many of these … self-employed people are entrepreneurs … and they’re willing to start and run a business on their own, and Utah has a very robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Hale said it’s many of these small businesses, run by people who identify themselves as self-employed, that contribute to Utah County’s thriving economy. In Utah County, almost 13,000 people are self-employed.

When it comes to occupations, child care is the second most common field for self-employed people, accounting for over 1,600 self-employed people in Utah. For Saratoga Springs resident Misti Davis, it was the move that made the most sense. She’s been running Miss Misti’s Daycare for a year.

When she moved to the south part of Saratoga Springs, Davis said there were very few childcare options for her child who is under 2 years old. The only daycare option she could find was too expensive, at $1,800 per month for her three kids. So, she simply decided to open her own daycare.

“I wanted to be with my kids since I could not find (a daycare) suitable for our needs that I approved of,” Davis said.

Filling a need seems to be a common theme among people who are self-employed. It’s the same reason why Emily Brown Applegarth and her husband decided to open up their own music school, Miles Ahead Music, to provide music lessons for kids. They have been in business for just under a year in American Fork.

Applegarth received a bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from BYU, and shortly before graduating, realized none of the music studios in the area offered saxophone lessons, or if they did, they didn’t pay very well.

“I had always dreamed of starting a music school and realized that I could make my dream a reality,” Applegarth said.

In addition to creating work for herself, Applegarth said it was a way to also help fellow musicians find work as well. Since opening in May of last year, Applegarth said their music school is growing quicly.

“We are extremely passionate about helping Utah County music students find quality lessons without breaking the bank,” Applegarth said. “It’s so important to have a good teacher.”

And, in Utah County, teaching or instructing outside of a traditional school environment is the third most prominent self-employed career.

Many people choose to be self-employed because of the freedom it gives them. That’s what inspired Eagle Mountain resident Chase Amador to start working for himself in the HVAC industry. Amador said he knew he always wanted to work for himself, but some personal struggle kept that dream from becoming a reality until about a year ago, when he and his wife decided the time was right for him to strike out on his own.

“I really enjoy being able to provide a quality product for my customers that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg. I also like being able to pick and choose which jobs I do,” Amador said.

Another benefit Amador has enjoyed from being self-employed is the flexibility in his schedule. While he still works a lot of hours, he said he’s been able to attend more of his kid’s activities than he could in the past.

“It’s the best decision I ever made,” he said.

Applegarth, who just gave birth to her first child in December, also cited flexibility as a major plus.

“I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to run my business while raising my baby,” Applegarth said. “In a normal work environment I could not do that as easily.”

Of course, not all self-employed jobs are as flexible. Davis has had exactly the opposite experience from Amador. She said she never has time off and she’s unable to attend her own kids’ events often because she’s always watching other children. However, both Amador and Davis shared the common struggle of not always having a steady paycheck, relying on other people to pay their bills or needing to line up jobs.

“The unknown is scary,” Amador admitted.

And being self-employed ultimately isn’t for everyone. For some, like Davis, it’s just a rest stop. After her youngest daughter turns two, Davis said she’ll go back to work at a traditional place of employment.

“I am a corporate America girl,” Davis said.

But for others, like Amador and Applegarth, working for themselves is a dream come true. Applegarth said she and her husband have plans to continue expanding their music school over time, hopefully opening more locations in Utah County, and Amador can’t imagine doing anything else.

“It’s been so awesome to see how much this decision has helped me and my family in several ways,” Amador said.