I had a conversation recently with a longtime business owner who has decided that entrepreneurship really isn’t for her. First let me say, I think this is an honest and brave decision. I am not one of those entrepreneurs who thinks this is the only way to find success and happiness in life. I am not the type of coach that feels like if you aren’t contributing in this arena that you will not live up to your potential.
I think there are many paths you can grow on, and I happen to love the entrepreneurial life. My advice to her was to be at peace with the decision and be open and prayerful about what comes next. I told her to leave without regret.
But there was one part of our conversation that was concerning to me. She said, “I think I am sad about leaving behind the possibility of business ownership. I love the idea of working less and making more.”
My response was, “That’s not business ownership.” And that my friends, is the source of my concern. How many other entrepreneurs have started their business based on a false expectation? How many business owners are feeling frustrated and like they are failing because they are working hard?
Business ownership is fantastic! But I think it’s extremely important to paint an honest picture. I’m not claiming that this is true for every single business owner on the planet. But It’s true for the business owners I know!
- Business Owners work incredibly hard, but very differently than an employee. We have high levels of responsibility. The weight of many things rest on our shoulders. When the team members stop because they are out of hours for the week or because they can’t find a solution, we keep going. We work our scheduled hours, and then we circle back around when there is nothing more interesting going on. And we enjoy it!
Business Owners work on our own terms. I was looking at my kind of insane schedule this week and rather than feel stressed, I smiled. I smiled because within all of the color blocked madness was time for me, kids activities, church activities, marketing, sales, leadership, and creativity. My life is full. But it is full of the things that I want to be there.- Freedom for the business owner comes through hiring. The only reason I don’t work 60+ hours per week is that I have an amazing team. I am not being humble when I say I could not do it without them. I am being honest. My team puts in hundreds of hours a week. I don’t have those hours to devote to my business. I have freedom because I’ve got awesome contractors that take on parts of my business. If you want more freedom, raise your prices and pay someone to do parts of your business.
- A business owner’s passion comes from more than the paycheck. We love the possibilities that come with our position. We love the influence and voice that we have. We love the cause. We love the pursuit of greatness.
Business Owners work on our own terms. I was looking at my kind of insane schedule this week and rather than feel stressed, I smiled. I smiled because within all of the color blocked madness was time for me, kids activities, church activities, marketing, sales, leadership, and creativity. My life is full. But it is full of the things that I want to be there.
If this is what you want. Go get it! Business ownership is a wonderful path. If you’ve been searching for something else, I invite you to look at business ownership differently. Let go of the false idea of less work more money and get excited about a different way to live your life.