Not all that comes along with starting your own business and claiming the title of entrepreneur is stressful. Although there are hardships, a lot of them usually, most entrepreneurs agree that being their own boss and having their own business is the best thing they ever could have accomplished, hardships and all. So what is the best part of being an entrepreneur? Is it simply that fact that you are your own boss, or the product you work with? Below are some answers from entrepreneurs on what they love best about being an entrepreneur.
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Because color changed my life
It is not like working at all when you can share your passion with others and change their lives. Color changed my life when I was 17 and I've been helping others do the same for more than 30 years. At 17, I shopped for a graduation dress and dared to try on The Red Dress. Previously I wore washed out drab colors and was an invisible, unpopular grey mouse. I looked at myself in the mirror and had an epiphany. It was my good fortune to discover at an early age that when you change the way you look, people treat you differently. Then you change profoundly on the inside. I made other changes and within a few years moved to Washington, DC and became a top model there. I've spoken to corporate groups on three continents over the last 30 years, and audience members have recounted dramatic changes in respect from others, promotions and increase in bottom line.
Thanks to Sandy Dumont, The Image Architect
Doing something I truly love
What I love about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to do something I truly love. It's taken a while for me to find my way, but now that I know how much I enjoy working with other entrepreneurs, helping them build their businesses and watching them become empowered, excited and even joyful about marketing, I know I'm living my dreams. We are entering a new era in our world and more and more people won't settle for less than having a fulfilled, joyful and interesting life, which means everyone needs to pursue what they love. If they aren't willing to share about it and let people know what they've got, they can't grow and they can't serve the people they are meant to serve. It brings me so much joy and pleasure knowing that I am helping people help others.
Thanks to Payson Cooper, Payson Jewelry
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Because I can turn ideas into reality with no one to stop me
I love love LOVE being en entrepreneur because I can turn ideas into reality with no one to stop me! I love being around like-minded people and creating an environment where they can be themselves. It's awesome always wanting “to work,” because it's so fun. Plus I get to wear what I want, listen to great music all day, and bring my doggies to work every day!
Thanks to Emily Voth, Indigo Wild
The idea of working for myself exhilarates me
The idea of working for myself exhilarates me to no end. I am finally able to express the passions of my soul within a business context. I am doing something meaningful with my life. I am certain of my path and of my success – both present and eventual. I have never been this inspired to be able to live so that I could work. It is so the opposite of all things corporate and that thrills me to no end. I get to do things my way .. I can put my self-discipline to optimal use. My raw ideas matter and my uncensored opinions rule. No one wastes my time anymore because I am in charge and I can make my own decisions without the anxiety of approval. In the end, it's about use my imagination and my intellect to my heart’s desire to create a real difference in this world.
Thanks to Farnoosh Brock, Prolific Living
Loving the flexibility
I love, love, love my flexibility. Being an entrepreneur is hard work, but it's on my own time. Believe me, it's on a lot of my own time, but when my sons have a game, school performance or cub scout event, I do not miss it. I don't report to anyone; I am my own boss, and I love leaving to be room mom when I want to. I pass that along to my employees too. I try to be a very flexible, understanding boss. I let hard work, rather than face time, speak for itself. I believe this creates an environment that people want to come to each morning and an environment in which people are happy. This passes along to the customers and the cycle of great customer service and business growth creates a great feeling for everyone in the company. I love creating a team of wonderful, dedicated employees who give 100% every day (almost every day), and who pass along their feel-good, do-good approach to our customers. I can do this because I own this business and have worked hard to create a positive environment of hard workers. Entrepreneurship is a blessing and I'm so thrilled to have this opportunity to run my own business!
Thanks to Deborah Sweeney, MyCorporation
The freedom to make my own rules
The best part is my motivation for being an entrepreneur. Money isn't what motives me. I want to make an impact, to create, change and innovate, and go where others have not gone before. I love the freedom of not following existing rules and being able to make my own. And I can be out and about when I choose to so and I choose conferences and events that interest me. Almost invariably, that is where I meet the most interesting people and my businesses has often taken an unexpected turn for the better because I meet someone, often at the bar, after conference hours, and we end up doing business together.
Thanks to Beate Chelette
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Having financial freedom
There are many things to love about being an entrepreneur. Financial freedom and being able to work the hours that work best for me, as a single parent, are ideal. I get to be the boss and make sure that I am giving 100% every day. Having invented a product and brought it successfully to market, knowing that I am helping people around the world with my product is more rewarding than ever. I have my Masters in Psychology, with my PhD work and wanted to learn how to better help people like myself. I lost all of the hair over my entire body to a rare disease 26 years ago and invented a product out of pure necessity, to help make wearing wigs, hats and helmets more comfortable. I love that I created something that really makes a difference in people's lives and I have the full rights to who can sell our product. I love being independent financially and with my time.
Thanks to Jodi Pliszka, HeadlineIt
Never having to wait for the “go-ahead”
Being an employee, especially at a big business, means you're constantly waiting for the “go-ahead” from the chain of command. As an entrepreneur, I make decisions on my own time and have the ability to enact change immediately. Because of that power, Influenster, a social networking and market research platform that connects brands to consumers, has the agility to meet the needs of both our partners and our members. Flexibility, however, is a challenge in itself: it requires attention, problem solving and creativity. And yet, for better or worse, I'm never bored because we're always moving. Finally, I'm proud of Influenster. There's so much gratification in creating something from scratch and seeing it grow into a vibrant, fun, and functional business.
Thanks to Elizabeth Scherle, Influenster
The excitement and satisfaction of building something from nothing
For me, being an entrepreneur is about creating. I know that for many, entrepreneurship is about autonomy – the ability to make your own hours and be your own boss, not working for “the man” (or, “the woman”, as the case may be). People find their motivation in different places, but in my ventures the motivation has always come from the excitement and satisfaction that accompanies building something from nothing. I am inspired by original thought and by big ideas. Entrepreneurship is about making things happen and making a difference. It starts with identifying a problem, a need, or a way to make things a little better or easier. If you start by looking for a way to make a difference and then have the will to take action and to make it a reality, how can you go to bed unhappy?
Thanks to Joshua Weiss, TeliApp Corporation
I get to integrate everything I love
What I love about being an entrepreneur is a combination of a few elements: I get to work for myself, without anyone telling me what to do, when & how; I get to integrate everything I love: I have a real passion for fashion, jewelry & accessories + I love to manage and have full control over my time and my creations. On top of these, I really love helping other people and I believe that by offering women the option to shop online high quality brands with moderate pricing is an added value to them. They don't need to actually leave their house, so it saves time, and moreover, it enables them to enjoy unique lines that are not easy to find, and most of them don't have an online presence. One final thing which I love about being an entrepreneur is the possibility to have a flexible schedule which enables me to spend quality time with my family whenever I want.
Thanks to Michelle Herscu, Apricot
The ability to pick the people you work with
There so many things that I love about being an entrepreneur. I could write for pages and pages. The best part about it though is the ability to pick the people you work with. Whether it's co-workers I hire, free-lancers or partners, I am able to work with people that not only reflect the image of my company, but individuals I also connect with. Building a team is very much an art. Being able to be selective and not bound by bureaucratic hiring practices or predecessor mis-hires is a huge advantage. As an entrepreneur, I'm also able to choose our suppliers based on a personal connection and service. We are not stuck with someone simply based on price. This makes us much more nimble when our needs change or we are shifting strategy.. Finally, we are also able to pick and choose the types of clients we bring on board. I want to work with clients that view us a partner and we strive to provide service that follows suit. Woody Hayes used to say, “You win with people.” I say, you win with the right people.
Thanks to Billy Goldberg, The Buckeye Group
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The creativity that being entrepreneurial brings
I love the creativity that being entrepreneurial brings… It really gets the mind going. It can be challenging, and lonely, but creating new ideas and concepts are exciting and exceptionally rewarding. I believe all people can learn about business; some people can even learn business savvy; but a true entrepreneur is naturally born … Visionaries and willing to back oneself to the nth degree and to the exclusion at times of traditional logic. I’ve always prided myself on taking the non-traditional path, the route that’s a bit out of the ordinary. I think one of the most motivating elements in business is being surrounded by people that think outside the box. I have a great respect for those that are prepared to do things a little bit differently, but with absolute belief in their way. My motto has always been not to take yourself too seriously. Remember to have fun, and if it’s meant to be, the rest will follow… Like making money!
Thanks to Stan Gordon, Franchised Food Company