Being in love is great. Being in love with your business, when you’re an entrepreneur, is even better. Waking up each morning knowing you are getting to do exactly what you love is more than most people could ever say about any “job” they have had. Although there are days when tossing in your hat seems like a viable option, remembering how much you love your “job” can quickly snap an entrepreneur out of that mentality. Different business owners also have different reason why they love their business. It might be the products or the customers they deal with, or it could even be the fact that they are the ones in charge of it all. The reasons are as varied as the businesses themselves.
#1 – Instant Gratification
I love the instant gratification of seeing your hard work pay off. After a new product launch, strategy change that's completed its very easy to see the result of it in terms of more money in my pocket or time savings. In the corporate world, there's no equivalent to that, and it's frustrating to fight the entire year for a 5% raise or promotion – and there's no knowing that your work will even be noticed enough to warrant a reward. For an entrepreneur, just spend a few months launching a product or making a new sale and you can add tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to your bottom line very easily
Thanks to Steve Creasy, VersaChalk
#2 – The Roller Coaster
There is really nothing quite like it. Many an article has been written on ‘enjoying the ride'. Most assume that this is a rocket ship. Who wouldn't love a one-way trip to the millionaire land? The reality is that the ‘ride' is more like a roller coaster. The track rises up one day, plummets the next. Successful entrepreneurs enjoy the highs and stomach the lows. These swings don't happen monthly or weekly – they happen daily! It takes a certain type of person to actually ENJOY this type of ride. And these swings are what I love most about being an entrepreneur. The thrill of success and the fight through failure. If you can make it, you are rewarded. The lows can beat down most aspiring business owners. But the rush of pulling yourself out by your bootstraps, day in and day out, to see yet another peak is second to none.
Thanks to Jess Waldeck, Maven
#3 – Owning Decisions
My favorite part about being an entrepreneur is waking up every morning and knowing that my decisions that day will completely correlate with my success. Back when I was a graduate student working in a Biochemistry laboratory, I remember feeling like there was really nothing I could do to make more money or even be more successful in my research. So much of my success was left to chance or how my boss was feeling that day. As an entrepreneur, every moment I can focus on things that might make me more money tomorrow!
Thanks to Lindsey Handley, Ph.D., ThoughtSTEM, LLC
#4 – No Permission
I love being entrepreneur because no one is going to stop you from doing the things you want. You don’t need to seek for permission or approval from your boss and their bosses to turn your ideas into actions. What’s more amazing is to witness your own project that you made from scratch is kicking off, that sense of accomplishment is something that I don’t see when I was working for someone else. Hope it's helpful. Let me know if you need additional information on this topic. It'd be great if you can give me a heads up when you post is published, that way I can promote it on my social media.
Thanks to Kate Chan, Rabbut
#5 – See How Lives Change
As an entrepreneur of a skin care line, I love to see how people’s lives change day by day. Videos, photos and different comments make me understandthe importance of my business. I remember the video of a teenager who is now confident because of my product. A lady who can now leave without makeup on. It means so much to know how effective, loved and supported my products are! One day at a time, I’m reaching to someone who lost his/her confidence; but is now feeling good about him/herself because of my story and my business. I'm proud to sell products that have the ability to transform and in a way change how someone sees life. Hurting people hurt other people. I believe that with every good result from a person who tried our products, a caterpillar metamorphose into a butterfly. Someone will not feel hurtful anymore and so they stop hurting others too. It’s a cycle that can actually change the world in small ways. How will I stop loving my role as an entrepreneur if it gives me this kind of fulfillment?
Thanks to Daisy Jing, Banish
#6 – Fulfilling Lifestyle
I love being an entrepreneur because I love freedom and thrive on a more fulfilling lifestyle. As an entrepreneur, I'm free to pursue the type of work I want to do, the type of clients I want to work with, the hours I want to work, the location where I do my work. It even means the freedom to take time off to play when I want. I work mostly from the tropical paradise of Costa Rica and this is only possible because I'm an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, I get to decide what my goals are. It is incredibly rewarding to work towards and achieve those goals for me and the people involved as opposed to fulfilling someone else's shallow dream. As a graphic designer, I get to work with other entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals and dreams, which is incredibly fulfilling. Even though it's not always easy, I can't imagine not being an entrepreneur!
Thanks to Erin Morris, Evergreen Design Studio
#7 – Joy of Creation
The one thing that I love the most about being an entrepreneur is the joy of creation and ownership that comes with it.
I was previously working a job at one of the world’s Top consulting firms and while the experience was great I always had the nagging feeling of not having the opportunity to create something or to own my work end-to-end. This, however, changed drastically once I started my company where I had to be responsible for everything to some degree or another. In addition, running a business requires you to constantly spot new growth opportunities and creative strategies that not only guarantee your survival but also help you thrive. Personally, I find this to be the most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship where I can put my creative side to work while taking up more responsibility. While the risks are also greater, the rewards in the longer run can more than make up for it.
Thanks to Abhishek Lal, VedSutra
#8 – Giving Back to Others
There are many challenges that come with being an entrepreneur, I am often given the challenge of finding new ways that families or clients are able to live their best life. I always strive to be a problem-solver and to provide a service to clients that is solution-based and client-focused. My role as an entrepreneur is fast paced and multi-faceted. I operate in numerous roles such as being a mother (first and foremost), an interior designer, philanthropist, brand ambassador, and lifestyle expert. I've found balance and success by giving back to others who are less fortunate. The heart of my brand was developed around giving back to others. I believe that giving back to others is the ultimate form of leadership, giving back to others helps me to sustain a level of humility as career milestones and successes are reached. I love giving back to others and finding the solution to problems so that clients can live their best life.
Thanks to Kymberlyn Lacy, International Flair Designs
#9 – The Excitement
I love the excitement of being an entrepreneur. It's the electrified charge I feel when a new idea manifests itself or when a new client come on board. This is something people working for other organizations feel at the start but lose quickly as they encounter the same situations on a daily basis. For an entrepreneur, each client is different, so the power comes from creative troubleshooting and new learning opportunities.
Thanks to Richard Keller, Wooden Pants Publishing
#10 – Something From Nothing
To me, being an entrepreneur means you're the type of person that can build something, where there was previously nothing. Who wouldn't love taking an idea that no one has thought of before, creating a team, and bringing that concept to fruition – to help other people. For example, before HireAHelper, consumers had to do and know all aspects of their move completely on their own, with no one looking out for their better interests. We've created a solution to that problem. There is now this tangible something where there was once nothing.
Thanks to Mike Glanz, HireAHelper
#11 – Total Freedom
I love being an entrepreneur because it gives me total freedom to pursue my life with purpose, inspire others to creativity, while working with and learning from the most brilliant people along the way. Entrepreneurship is the only way to work and even if you don't own your own business, you can be entrepreneurial in your job. How? By doing what entrepreneurs do, which is working with heart, and always being open to finding a better way. When you do, you discover your own creativity. And creativity with purpose makes work, life's work. Entrepreneurship enables all that and I love it.
Thanks to Kathy Heasley, Heasley & Partners
#12 – Choosing Family
The saying goes ‘you can choose your friends, but you can't choose family.' What I love most about being an entrepreneur is the you CAN choose family. Let me explain… Recruiting, selecting, and growing a team of individuals who are all busting their butts toward a common goal has been one of the most rewarding aspects of entrepreneurship. These individuals are who you have chosen to go to battle with. You will experience success with them and you will experience failure. You will agree with them and you will argue (and believe me, we love to debate with one another). But at the end of the day, all involved are in it for the same reasons. For us, that reason is to be the best at what we do. We won't be the best unless we have the right team who brings the right amount of intensity and passion every single day. I love being an entrepreneur because I love the family I have chosen. I disagree, you can Chuze family!?
Thanks to Cory Brightwell, Chuze Fitness
#13 – In Charge of Success
I love being an entrepreneur because I am the one person in charge of my success. My father said to me: ‘It's all up to you, don't blame anyone else for you not making it. From a family of 7 kids, we needed to be dying to have a day off from school and we were not allowed to get out of bed or do fun things if we were sick.' This taught me to work hard and be resilient. My dad used to tell us to ‘work it out' when we asked a question rather than giving a straight answer. This encouraged me to be resourceful and think for myself. – Grainne Kelly, BubbleBum.us
Thanks to Grainne Kelly, BubbleBum
#14 – Professional Freedom
Before taking the dive into the entrepreneurial ocean, I found myself desperately wanting one thing: the opportunity to work in an environment that allowed me to contribute without controlling me. I think there is something fundamentally wrong with “corporate culture” that dictates to employees when they can take breaks, go on vacation or even go to the bathroom. Yeah, I could work in such an environment—but not happily. Mind you, not every business is as restrictive and suffocating. Some companies are consciously striving to make going to work not feel like serving an 8-hour stint in jail. I knew that, by becoming an entrepreneur, I could build one of these employee-friendly businesses. As we all know, being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. I was aware of that before I signed up. Fortunately, I didn’t start a business because I was afraid to work. I genuinely enjoy busting my bum. I just want to be able to do it at a pace that works for me—and while sitting by the pool, if I chose. I also wanted to give people who wanted the same professional freedom a chance to join me in enjoying life while simultaneously earning a paycheck. Life is too short to spend fully behind a desk. I love exploring – whether I’m visiting the local sites or taking a transcontinental flight to an exotic locale. Being an entrepreneur isn’t just the way I earn my living—it’s what allows me to live the life I want to live.
Thanks to Kimberly Barnes, ContentPark
#15 – Be More Creative
I began my career working as a full-time graphic designer in a cubicle setting. After several years of working for different companies I began to realize that it’s very difficult to be creative in cubicle setting and my creativity was at it’s best at different times throughout the day, not necessarily 9am-5pm. Additionally most of the companies and agencies I worked for tented to focus on one industry. For example, one of the agencies I worked only had automotive clients so all my work was designing auto dealership ads, this got old very quickly. I wanted to work in a more creative environment and learn about a variety of industries, that is why in 2010, I decided to start my own creative agency. I named my agency DreamBig because that is what I have always done and I love working with clients that have big ideas and “dream big”. I work with a large variety of businesses ranging across all industries, sizes and locations. I love learning about each one and what makes the unique. Since I struggled so much with working a traditional 9-5 job, I decided to make my company all virtual. All of my employees work remotely, and are not restricted to a specific schedule. I love being an entrepreneur because it has given me the ability to be more creative as to have more time for my family.
Thanks to Veronica Gagnelius, DreamBig