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 a 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.
We asked some entrepreneurs what they loved about “being their own boss.”
#1- Service to clients
What I love most about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to provide a service to my clients I truly believe in. Belief in the product you represent is the cornerstone to long-term success in business and in life, and being an entrepreneur affords you the ability to choose the path you believe does the most good for the market you serve.
Thanks to David Duford, Buy Life Insurance For Burial!
#2-The flexibility
I work from home and it has been an awesome experience to be around my wife and kids more than I would if I had a more traditional job. I really appreciate being able to take a quick break in the afternoon to pick my daughter up from school, or a few minutes to play with my son at lunch. The flexibility that I have working for myself and working from home has been great for our family. Every now and then I'll take an unplanned day off work so we can do something together as a family. Those things wouldn't have been possible earlier on in my career when I had a typical job.
Thanks to Marc Andre, Vital Dollar!
#3-Ability to determine my own success
This includes how much money I make, how fulfilled I am, and being able to really own something of my own. In my previous jobs, I felt I was always being held back because of how many years of experience I had, how much the company thought you were worth, and if someone in a higher position had a difference of opinion. I felt I was never able to use my full potential. As an entrepreneur I make my own path, and my hard work really pays off in the long run. I feel fulfilled with the ability to help people and have my clients really trust me as their photographer. And being able to make the own schedule isn't a bad perk either!
Thanks to Hilary Hull, Hilary Hull Photography!
#4- Turning ideas into reality
The freedom to take ideas and transform them into reality is my favorite part about being an entrepreneur. If you have ever had a job and a boss, you know that it can be hard to affect change within an organization or an industry. Being my own boss means I can take my ideas, put them into immediate action, and watch them come to life.
Thanks to Heather Thomas, Destin Vacation Boat Rentals!
#5- Many reasons
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster of an adventure but I love it for so many reasons. The first is having ultimate control of my life and destiny. While it's scary as your success is 100% dependent on you, it's also incredibly liberating. You get what you put into it.Another main reason I love entrepreneurship is the constant personal growth. Often times, the only way for your business to grow is if you are growing, learning, and connecting with new people. If you're remaining the same, you're usually falling behind.Lastly, I love the daily challenges of being an entrepreneur. No two days are alike which makes it much more fun, exciting, and stimulating than my past salaried positions.
Thanks to Michael Leonard, Inspire Your Success!
#6-I'm the boss of my own time
Being an entrepreneur has been by far the best decision I've made in my life, what I love the most about being an entrepreneur is the freedom it gives me, I'm the boss of my own time, I control my own fate. I'm not at the mercy of an employer's rage, or bad attitude. My life as an entrepreneur isn't without it's challenges, but the joy of facing and conquering different problems is unexplainable. The freedom entrepreneurship affords me can't be replaced by anything in the world, it makes me fully understand what it means to be free as a bird and soar as an eagle.
Thanks to Bessie Ramirez, Iwillbuyhouse.com!
#7- The satisfaction
The underlying motivation of becoming an entrepreneur is greater freedom. I can drive Jet Premium Finance in any direction I decide. This was always my desire and career goal. To succeed as an entrepreneur you must have this want as well as no fear of the accompanying responsibility. I love waking up each morning and working on the projects that I deem most important. The work is difficult, but the satisfaction of my company operating smoothly and keeping the clientele happy is unmatched. I love being an entrepreneur!
Thanks to Greg Tobias, Jet Premium Finance!
#8- Several things
There are many things I love about being an entrepreneur, but a few come to mind. For one, I love the idea of having no ceiling on my income. While my weekly paychecks can be randomized, I like knowing it will not be the same thing every week. Secondly, I love the freedom. You do need discipline, but if you can find a career that offers a passive income opportunity, you don't have to stick to the mundane 9-5. And as a plus, more than two weeks of vacation per year are available. Lastly, I can enjoy my children as they grow old. No overnight travel, no staying late to make a boss happy and no one-hour rush-hour drive to the office. I can enjoy the simple things in life. Entrepreneurship can have its struggles, but if you want it bad enough, there's something out there for you and the reward is well worth the pursuit.
Thanks to Tom Nathaniel, LushDollar!
#9-Freedom to be Creative
When someone asks me What do you love about being an entrepreneur? the voice of William Wallace yelling Freedom in the movie Braveheart echoes in my head. As an entrepreneur, I'm able to choose both the projects and the means for completing the projects. I can look at a potential project and say, I'd enjoy doing that or No, that's not a project that I would enjoy doing. I love being able to create something new from nothing and to be able to say That looks awesome. In the past, when I've worked for someone else, I quickly became bored with the repetition of common tasks and I would get frustrated in my job. Being an entrepreneur gives me the freedom to be creative and energizes me.
Thanks to Robert Taylor, The Real Estate Solutions Guy!
#10- Ability to focus
When you are self-employed you are in charge of how you use your time; you don't have to waste your energy on projects you'd rather not be doing.* Being your own boss means you can focus on the tasks and relationships that create the most money and add the most fulfillment to your life. As an entrepreneur, you set the value of your time at the level that works for you, instead of letting an employer set an arbitrary value on your time. As an entrepreneur, one of the greatest benefits is that I get to focus on what is important to me and building the life I want to achieve.
Thanks to Amanda Abella
#11-I get to eat when dinner is still hot
My professional life is incredibly different than when I was working within corporate. The ability to make my own decisions, work with the people I want to and working on the projects that interest me, rather than what managers provide is great. But my number 1 reason is “I get to eat when dinner is still hot”. What do I mean by that? Well, dinner is a metaphor, but I get struck (much like lightning) by motivation and inspiration as all humans do. Without a manager or a workflow supervisor, I am in charge. While I am engrossed in a project and I am enjoying the act of doing/building/creating/working, my job satisfaction is at it’s highest. If I am engrossed, I am doing my best work and being my own boss allows me to work on what motivates me TODAY and RIGHT NOW.
Thanks to Phil Mackie, Top Sail Digital!
#12- Every part of the process
To be an entrepreneur and love it, you have to also love being responsible. Sure, it's great that you're the idea person. You get the incredible opportunity to pursue your vision. I love that part best. And yet you also have to adore the opportunity to take the many steps to achieve it. No one else will love your business and your idea the way you do. Don't expect it, and you'll be happier and more successful in your business. So, you also have to be excited about and aware of every part of the process. I love the many aspects of creating products and services that help people tell their stories better. For me, good communication skills will pave the way for true healing in the world. Bringing your vision and service to your customers will bring you great joy. Yet, you'll need to identify the vision and walk each step to love the entrepreneurial path.
Thanks to Izolda Trakhtenberg, IST LLC!
#13- Three things
As an entrepreneur, you get to constantly experiment with new ideas and initiatives in a rapid fashion. Without bureaucratic processes and inherent risk-averse corporate environments, you can make mistakes, learn quickly and change directions on a whim. It's extremely rewarding to mentor and train new hires and then witness their development and growth to become leaders in the company. Swimming upstream at first against market norms and peers who doubt your vision. When your business finally clicks and your vision starts to become reality, your achievements feel magnified and your career has a purpose.
Thanks to Jordan Wan, CloserIQLink!
#14- Working from anywhere
The flexibility to work from anywhere as the business. I've built can be run 100% online. This became extremely vital when my mom was hospitalized a year ago for 7 1/2 months. I needed and wanted to be with her at her bedside advocating for her and her health. Thankfully my business allowed me that flexibility to be with her 22 out of 24 hours a day during the final months of her life.
Thanks to Kim Randall, KiMedia Strategies!
#15-Living on my own terms
What I love most about entrepreneurship is the flexibility and doing what I want, when I want. It’s the biggest trade-off for a hugely stressful profession. The business magazines want people to think that entrepreneurship is glorious. It’s super trendy right now. The truth is that it totally sucks unless you are running a unicorn company. While I stay up at night stressing about payroll, I also get to live on my own terms.
Thanks to Wesley Donehue, Push Digital!
#16- Creating my own space
I love that I have one space in my life that is MINE. I get to create what I want, how I want when I want. I get to create something out of nothing and enjoy the financial opportunities that come as a result. I also love that I get to operate under my own company culture, morals and ethics as a result. It's like your own little world you create and Lord over, and I'm pretty sure there's nowhere else in the world where you can do this outside of entrepreneurship.
Thanks to Shereen Thor, AWAKEN THE REBEL!
#17- Surrounding myself with the energy and creativity
As much as I love working on my own company, what I love even more is surrounding myself with the energy and creativity of fellow entrepreneurs. I founded a local entrepreneurs group that meets in person and online to advise each other, and now work from a coworking space. Both help me get a ton of work done and inspire me with ideas and resources way beyond what a solopreneur could accomplish on their own.
Thanks to Laura Barta, Whole Wide World Toys, Inc.!
#18- Being able to make and change things
Being an entrepreneur allows me to have complete freedom. I can decide when I want to work – which is most of the time by the way, since it doesn't feel like a job. This means I have the time to see family, train when and want to, travel to places when I want to and in general just live the life I want. Furthermore, I have always wanted to make something and being able to change something. Working in a job didn't allow me to do that. I felt like I became a small part of a puzzle and just worked for my bosses ideas. Now I can create something I feel help other people and I can change a part of their life for the better. That gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction and well-being, instead of just trying to please a bosses goals.
Thanks to Jacob Dahl, TimeOn!
#19-Taking my existing expertise and leveraging it in other ways
Being a physician was always satisfying, but in many ways being in the medical industry as a physician is constraining. What I love about being an entrepreneur in the healthcare space as a physician is that it allows me to take my existing expertise and leverage it in other ways than what I was originally trained. As a physician who now helps other physicians create their ideal career, avoid burnout and step into physician entrepreneurship, I get to break the mold of what it means to be a doctor, and create a new frontier of career options and opportunities for current and next generations of physicians (as well as other healthcare providers). Additionally, being an entrepreneur allows me to practice my craft on my terms by my design. Even though I have a science and business mind, I get to exist more in my creative spaces as a coach helping other doctors find their passion and purpose. Finally, as a single mom of a pre-schooler it allows me the flexibility to be fully present for all of his school and after-school activities. This life is something that is difficult to achieve in the traditional medical practice world.
Thanks to Maiysha T. Clairborne, DrMaiysha.com!
#20- The end goal of yourself
There is a reason why venture capital firms value persistence more than intelligence when they meet hungry entrepreneurs ready to make a change in the world. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone but it is the biggest personal development journey anyone can embark upon. What I enjoy most about entrepreneurship is the end goal, not necessarily of the products or services you put out, but of yourself. It is the skills you develop as well as the capacities you hone which make entrepreneurship an exceptional
journey.
Thanks to Ignacio Perez, Sai.Coach!
#21- No limits
I love being an entrepreneur because there are no limitations. In my business one thing spirals off another and there is no telling where it will go. Ex. I started with a cooking blog, that turned into a cookbook, coasted into a business focused on Corporate Wellness Menu Planning to an actual Dinner Menu Planning Board focuses dedicated entirely to busy people on the run.
Thanks to Nicole Meyer, Nibbles By Nic!
#22- Innovation
For me, entrepreneurship has always been the epitome of innovation and I fell in love with promoting that in others. I found I had a gift for turning peoples passions into a reality and creating the media for them to make the money back it up. As I dug further I found that I also had a gift for pulling the why out of companies of all sizes, helping them find/increase specific metrics, and presenting that why to the proper target market. What is amazing about being an entrepreneur is that the innovation is not just in your industry but it is also in yourself. Entrepreneurship is as much about self-awareness as is about anything else. With that being said, I would have to say that I'm in love with the process of entrepreneurship and the opportunity it gives me to create.
Thanks to Terrell White Jr., Innovative Choice LLC!
#23-I chose my role
Yes, you do things that you don't necessarily want to do but for the majority of the day, I love doing my work. If I had gone into a corporate job for someone else, I would have been stuffed into whatever corner they had with a stapler living below my real potential. As an entrepreneur, I make the calls and my income and life are directly correlated to the work I produce. I prefer this over hoping I won't get passed up for that promotion after ten years of hard work. Plus, even though being an entrepreneur is hard at first, you end up making more money than you ever would have at the day job.
Thanks to Brad Ormsby, colorstonemarketing.com!
#24- Two things
What I've learned, and what I've grown to love is that being an entrepreneur takes hustle. But here's the problem: Sometimes we think hustle is about becoming a workaholic or adding a lot of stuff to our lives. Hustle is an act of focus, not frenzy. Hustle is about subtraction and addition. It's not about doing more, it's about focusing on the things that you need to do, in order to move your business forward. As an entrepreneur, I really appreciate this mentality coupled with the fact that there are no set guidelines in creating a successful venture, there is only a blank canvas that you step into when starting a business. The possibilities are endless and you're only restricted by how big you can dream it. There is always the opportunity to invent something completely new or build something that is better or cheaper than what already exists. There is no limit on what entrepreneurship and ingenuity can create. Secondly, I really love building a team and creating a company culture that is in line with our values. People are similar to jigsaw pieces and it's rewarding when you find a person who fits perfectly into their role within your company. There are so many individuals who possess unique talents who are under-appreciated, and nothing is more fulfilling than finding those diamonds in the rough among all of the talent out in the workforce.
Thanks to Michael Swartz, MediXall Group, Inc.!
#25- Scaling my income
When I was an executive in the corporate world, I used to say that in my next life I'd launch a business. Then, the publishing landscape changed, and my position was eliminated. I launched my writing services business less than a year ago and have scaled my revenues way faster than I expected. My maverick personality fits being an entrepreneur: I'm obsessed with my business, and work whenever inspiration hits. Hello, midnight! However, I can take my kids to and from school, and beat all their activities, without having to sacrifice any. The best part is being able to scale my income the way I want – there's no one evaluating me for a promotion or raise. I'm the boss of me. I also love creating storytelling copy for fierce brands that I believe in, and inspiring their buyers to take action. The sky truly is the limit now.
Thanks to Nicole Rollender, Strand Writing Services!
#26- The challenge and skillsets
I love the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur. And I love the skillset that grows afterward, both when I succeed and when I fail. This skill set includes an ability to manage uncertainty, ability to learn and grow from failure, and the ability to learn and re-wire various fields of expertise. Along with those, comes the knowledge of yourself. These skills give the freedom to choose what to do in life and the curiosity to explore, see problems that I have the resources to solve and then have the inventiveness to create solutions. Moreover, it gives the courage to act – or not; the ability not to act is another type of courage, an underrated type. And what I love most about being an entrepreneur, is that it brings out my true potential as a human being.
Thanks to Olga Duka, Zeus Exchange!