Entrepreneurs are as diverse as their businesses, and their lifestyles vary a great deal from each other – despite our tendency to group all startups into one stereotype. But from mompreneurs to millennial business owners, these individuals all have one thing in common: they work hard.
Owning a business can be difficult, time-consuming, and stressful. However, for most entrepreneurs, the pros significantly outweigh the cons. Whether it’s the ability to spend time with family on a whim or to spend their days doing what they are most passionate about, small business owners celebrate being their own bosses. Here are some of our favorite reasons why:
1. Follow Your Passion
What gets your juices flowing? Odds are, it’s not your typical 9-to-5 corporate role. Whether you’re thrilled about cooking, coffee, technology, social impact, or anything else, starting a business is about more than just surround yourself with what you enjoy. It’s about offering your passion to your community. In startups, we have the distinct pleasure of knowing that every action we take is in line with what makes us most excited.
2. Do what you love, outsource what you don’t.
We all have our weekend hobbies, we have strengths that we’re proud of having developed through years of experience, and we have tasks that we just hate doing. As business owners, we can’t get rid of the necessity for email management or tough phone calls, but we can outsource much of what we don’t enjoy. Accounting? There’s a partner for that. Writing blog posts? You can hire for that. Designing a brand? Ask an expert to do it. Entrepreneurs can focus on what they love, and leverage their network for the things they don’t.
3. Manage your own time.
It’s no secret that bosses want you to make the most of your time in the office. In varying levels of micro-management, they ensure that your work is yielding great results for the company – and you ensure you’re at your desk when you’re supposed to be. As entrepreneurs, we’re no longer tied to someone else’s expectations of our hourly commitment. While time management is an unmistakable necessity in starting a business, we get to choose for ourselves what that means.
4. Rule out boredom.
When the focus is on spending all hours between 9 AM and 5 PM at your desk, your job can be dull. Whether the work is too repetitive, unchallenging, or uninteresting, boredom is inevitable. In contrast, small business offers the opportunity for owners to be consistently challenges and to dynamically learn in action. This challenging and hectic lifestyle is a perfect fit for those enjoy being kept on their toes.
5. Decide who you work with.
We’ve all been around the colleague, the intern, or (worst of all) the boss that we just don’t vibe with. Whether the issue is professional or personal, bad interactions can make or break your day. Fortunately, as the boss of your own business, you can avoid these awkward and frustrating moments by getting to pick and choose your own team. The people you selected can truly be the best part of coming to work every day.
What are some other reasons why you’ll be celebrating the startup lifestyle this summer? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @StartBlox.
