Everyone is seemingly running to entrepreneurship. At first glance, it is a sight to see. We see people taking charge of their lives and stepping out on faith. A closer look is ugly. People don’t want to work. That is not what entrepreneurship is at all. It is the exact opposite. If one believes they can quit a 40-hour-a-week W2 position to take on a 10-hour-a-week endeavor under a corporation of their own, they are sadly mistaken. Why do we think this way? Could it be social media selling the ease of it? Is it the frustration of listening to others which leads to the belief you can tolerate your voice more? Is it the belief the 40 hours you give only takes 10 hours of actual time at your job? We should touch on all of the above to save some soon-to-be unfortunate souls.
Entrepreneurship is hard. Everything about it is hard. The perk of running your own business is one of the biggest bait and switch advertising examples you’ll ever witness. In the beginning, you substitute your W2 boss for who you believe will be yourself. You soon realize that you traded your one boss for thousands. If you are starting a business, you must sell something. It can be your time, a skill, a service, or a product. Whatever “it” is will need to be sold. Every person or company you sell it to is your boss. You must cater to customers like they are your boss. You will strive to keep them happy, prove yourself, service, or product as invaluable, and give them the desire to elevate your status. Congratulations!
Why did we think this was going to be easy? Let’s blame social media first. If you are on any social media platform and search for work from home, be your own boss, or entrepreneur, paid advertisements will flood your page. The videos will sell you on the ease of entrepreneurship which is the equivalent of stating it’s easy for humans to breathe underwater. These entrepreneurs are banking on selling the “ease” to you as a $99 to $999 offer. More power to them, but if you could buy financial freedom and a 10-hour work week, everyone would do it. It would also be considerably more than $999. We all understand that upon taking a step back, but it is easy to see this person on your phone/tablet/desktop walking around in the home you want, driving in the car you want, and living the life you want to convince you they have the secret sauce you need. Paying for information is fine. Paying for answers is foolish. No one has the same test.
Are we telling ourselves entrepreneurship is easier than keeping a full-time job because we think we’ll be better off on our own? This thought is another huge misconception. We overlook the benefits a full-time job has allowed us to become accustomed to receiving. Health benefits, consistent paychecks, scheduled work hours, paid time off, and being a part of a team are all things we take for granted. I didn’t even mention the work required on the other side. We figured out a way to do the least possible workload, in the shortest time, for the most money possible at our good ole full time job. That has made us believe that behavior is transferable in entrepreneurship. That is a big mistake.
Remember the dream of trading a 40-hour work week for a 10-hour one? That is something you will need to earn. It will be about 3-5 years of working 80-hour work weeks. People in your face selling the entrepreneurial life never discuss that part, huh? Oh, and that 3-5 years is likely per income stream outside of stock investments. If you goal is to work less, entrepreneurship should be last on the list. Let’s be honest. How hard are you going to push yourself? You’ve become an expert at doing the least for the most. How long can you stomach doing the most and getting next to nothing? How will you deal with issues that are sure to arise when you’ve grown accustomed to handing the problem off to your boss? If you are having trouble answering these questions, entrepreneurship may not be for you.
In closing, entrepreneurship is a wonderful option in the professional landscape, but it is not for everyone. It is sold as an escape from hard work, listening to people, and financial worry when it is more of all three. Not much in this world is more misrepresented than the life of an entrepreneur. If you believe this life is for you, go into it with the correct expectations. It will kick your tail and wait for you to get back on your feet to do it again. It stays hard, but keep at it. You’ll get better. It will take a new “you” to succeed in this lifestyle. The prize is what you believe it to be, but it is not received as soon as you would like it to be.
Food for thought. You do the dishes!
