The Unexpected Realities Of Being An Entrepreneur

How interesting is it to start your own business? Many people say they wish to own their own businesses.

Sometimes people tell me “you must be so lucky” or “it must be a relief to be out of the rat race.”

The truth is that none of these statements are true. As for the rat race, while entrepreneurship is very different, it’s a competition like no other.

Here is the real truth about entrepreneurship. Let’s dive in:

Entrepreneurship Can Be Very Stressful

If you think attaining your boss's or supervisor’s deadlines is tough, try attaining your own, especially when your eyes are focused on saving resources. Maybe your credit cards are already maxed out because you took another mortgage. Or, you are on the hook to repay a large amount of money you borrowed from your friend or family member. This pressure is a fire in itself and may light up an inferno even in the most laid back people. As an entrepreneur, I have worked tirelessly to regain some semblance of comfort and financial security.

Very Demanding, Unending Responsibilities

When you work for somebody else, you can be thankless knowing that your talents and skills are making someone else a profit. With some of these other jobs, you can leave behind the workload and take some time out. You cannot dare do the same thing as an entrepreneur when you are still the HR manager, marketing guru, office manager, janitor, tech guy, sales staff, CFO and CEO. These roles are unending and there is always something left somewhere that needs to be done.

The Bright Side Of The Coin

  • It's Rewarding - Anything that doesn’t come on a silver platter has its own share of benefits. When you become successful as an entrepreneur, there are so many rewards to reap, both emotionally and financially. Moreover, there is simply nothing as good as seeing the product you’ve tirelessly developed begin to excel. The joy you receive from a grateful client is more than the financial benefits it brings you. I can relax knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of my customers.
  • Entrepreneurship Is Flexible - Once you test the pleasure of working for yourself, you may never turn back again or want to work in a conventional 9-5 environment again. The reason behind this is basically flexibility. Yes, sometimes you may need to work for more hours, but all this is per your own terms. You can stop working at 3 p.m. to pick your kids up from school without asking anybody for permission or you can begin working at midnight through to 4 a.m. if you are a night owl. Overall, the new freedom and flexibility can be extremely exhilarating.
  • It's An Opportunity To Create & Innovate - No matter what the motivation, creating something from nothing that grows and develops through the years can be almost like raising a child; it's your baby, and you've nurtured it to its current level of success. That type of fulfillment is difficult to duplicate in any other career path.

One of the driving factors of most entrepreneurs is the need to exploit their talents and build something great or help other people, not to mention the need to leave something behind. It could be a business that your children could join later on and grow a legacy of establishing something new that will be around for a very long time soon after you are gone.

Regardless of the driving factor or motivation, creating something new and helping it grow to maturity results in a fulfillment that is difficult to duplicate in any other area of life. Having said that, pick your way but most importantly as the saying goes, “it’s better to make a mistake than to do nothing.”

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