Let’s hope I’m stating the obvious here. It has never ceased to amaze me how many new entrepreneurs start with the impression that running their own business will be easier than working for someone else. That is hardly ever the case – running your own company will consume more time and energy than pretty much any job you can imagine having. So what! Sure, it’s hard, but if you are the sort of person that likes to chart your own course, you are unlikely to find a more rewarding option working for someone else. Although you will most likely work harder, longer hours than you ever have as an employee, you will take comfort in the fact that you are working for your own bottom line and are more in control of your own destiny. Good or bad, the results rest largely, if not exclusively, on your shoulders. Some people can’t handle that reality; others thrive on it. You need to figure out early on which category you fall into.
The other good news, is that even if you’re not quite ready out of the gate, it’s possible to learn to be entrepreneurial; the bad news: it’s not easy to learn the ways of entrepreneurship. If you’ve been a “corporate type” for many years, you probably have become used to getting paid on a regular basis, getting your three weeks (or more) of vacation, having access to the already existing infrastructure of the company, etc. It can be difficult making the transition to “roughing it” and scrapping with just your own resources (and those you can manage to borrow from others), every single day. If you want to make such a move, make sure you’re fully aware of what you’re getting yourself into. It’s worth it! The rewards, both financial and psychological, can be amazing!
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I tried the working for yourself for six years, then decided it was not for me. I like getting a regular check, health insurance, and not having to deal with countless telemarketers.
I hear you. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Many love it, as I do, but many also come to the same conclusion that you did and would rather work for someone else. There’s no “right” choice, of course. It’s a very personal decision.