The Absolute Best (& Worst) Things About Being An Entrepreneur

You’ve got a big idea and you can’t stop dreaming about what it’s going to become. You’re so excited that it actually keeps you up at night.

You’ve always felt like you should be doing something else. You were destined for something greater than the 9 to 5 you’ve been slogging away at for the past umpteen years and this is your ticket to greener pastures.

Maybe you’ve been working on your idea late at night or over your lunch hour. You can’t help but share your idea with everyone you know and your passion translates.

You yearn for the day that you can quit your job and spend every waking minute pursuing this passion of yours. For, if it weren’t for this pesky job, you’d be half way to success-dom by now.

I hear you. Actually, I am you — a few years back.

I’ve never liked other people directing my actions or telling me what to do. Consequently, I’ve always been a terrible employee.

I knew early on in my career that I was destined to be an entrepreneur, but what that meant wasn’t clear to me until it was.

So, before you jump ship, hear me out:

Your life is about to change, for the better … and for the worse.

• Your financials will be a mess. If you’re fortunate, you’ll be able to pay yourself at least once in the first year.
• It’s likely you’ll go broke–more than once.
• You’re accountable for you. If you suck at holding yourself accountable, you’re going to struggle.
• Your sales will be half as good as you hope and it will take you twice as long as you expect to get them.
• Nobody is going to move at your speed. This will be exceptionally clear to you when time is against you and your bank account is almost dry.
• As the famous cliche states, you’ll work 80+ hours per week just so you can avoid working 40.
• On more than one occasion, you’ll likely want to give up and go back to the easy days of just being an employee.
• You’ll constantly worry that you’re not doing enough even when you’re doing everything that you can.
• The inspiration you once gained by seeing other entrepreneurs succeed, will turn into resentment.
• You’re going to feel alone, even when it feels like everyone is on your side.

But …

If this is truly what you’re meant to do and you’re passionate about your idea, in spite of what I stated above, it will be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.

That’s because …

• You will own your own destiny. Nobody other than you will decide whether you’re worthy of the tasks at hand.
• No matter how small it might be, getting your first sale will be one of the greatest feelings on the planet. It will motivate you to no end.
• When things go well, the rewards will feel endless.
• You’ll start to despise Friday’s instead of Monday’s. Which is a good thing.
• You’ll learn more in the first year of business than you would in 10 years in the working world.
• While you’ll be working insane hours, you’ll still be flexible to do the things that are important to you. Because you can.

And, lastly …

• You will wake up energized because you will finally love what you do.

We only get one chance at this world and I firmly believe that you should spend it doing what you enjoy. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.