Why do you really want to build a business?
- To make your life more exciting?
- To have more freedom?
- To make more money?
You probably want more of everything! Great, because in addition to all of the above, business can also be:
- more terrifying,
- more depressing,
- more exhilarating,
- more mundane,
- more lonely,
- more aggravating,
- more unsure,
- more annoying,
- more liberating,
- more expensive,
- more time-consuming,
- more joyful,
- more unpredictable,
- more stupid
- and, of course, more wonderful.
So it's not that you won't have fun starting a business. You will. A ton of fun.
But you'll also go through a multitude of other emotions, states, feelings and stark realities, with that same fun mixed in randomly.
So now is the time to ask yourself: can you deal with all the elements of entrepreneurship, or are you just down for the fun stuff?
It's ok if you really just want to experience the fun stuff that entrepreneurship has to offer.
I'm not judging. But I am pointing out that it's simply not the way it is -- and unfortunately, you don't find out a lot of the other elements until you're so deep in the game that it doesn't make sense to quit. That's why there's so much talk about "hustle" and never quitting in the business space online -- because so many entrepreneurs are too deep in the game to even consider turning around.
Once you're a few years deep, it's much harder to just "move on." So you have to be extremely tough mentally in order to make it. That's where the "hustle" mentality comes from. Not because entrepreneurs are some rare breed that don't get tired -- but because mental and emotional resilience is a learned trait that must be developed in order for us to survive.
I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just trying to share some things I wish people would have told me in the beginning.
People start businesses hoping that it will solve their biggest problems, all the while, forgetting that any new challenge -- and make no mistake, running a real business is a huge challenge -- will inevitably create new, previously unforeseen problems.
If you're down for that, cool. If you're not, just be honest with yourself. There's no shame in getting a good job. Honestly.
For as much as I preach about building your own thing (and I do strongly believe in it) -- I'd rather see you just be honest with yourself and do what's actually going to make you happy, rather than trying to do something that isn't "you" because looking at hundreds of pictures on Instagram every day has tricked you into thinking that you're missing out on something.
Trust me, you're not.
And let me assure you, there is nothing morally redeeming about being a business owner. A lot of the talk online equates having your own company with "giving back" or living your life "to the fullest" -- as if there's no other employment setting where this might be possible.
False.
Entrepreneurship doesn't bestow or imply any moral or ethical benefits.
Having a business isn't a necessarily better way of living, it's just an other way of living.
And this is your life. Any decision that you make for yourself will be correct -- as long as you're honest about what you really want.
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I hope you enjoyed this article!
If you're curious to know how I got started, and how you can begin your own journey to self- employment, you should enroll in my free mini-course on making more money. It'll take you step-by-step through the process of creating a new business using skills you already have.