Over the years I have heard it all when it comes to people ideas of what being an entrepreneur is. You wouldn’t believe how many people have some seriously funny misconceptions about what it’s like to be a business owner. Such a glamorized idea of what goes on daily in my life. Today I want to debunk the funniest statements people have made along the way. Let’s dive in.
- “It must be so nice that you can set your own hours.”
Ah, the dream of leisurely strolling into the office whenever you feel like it. Well, as a business owner, you find yourself setting your alarm for the crack ass of dawn because the success of your business depends on you and your customers don’t care if you were up all night crunching numbers or problem solving a major mistake that occurred the day before. There are only 24 hours in a day and I can tell you as an entrepreneur I have not worked a singular “8 hour day” in 8 years. No weekend off, no disconnecting for a vacation… it is a 24/7 kinda life. I have missed important events, forgotten my daughter needs a costume for school and had to pass on social events because work never stops. - “I would love to not have a boss! It must be amazing to be your own boss”
If you become self employed and think you have somehow escaped the tyranny of a boss? Think again! As a business owner, your boss list is long and more terrifying than you could imagine your current boss to be. Your customers are your highest level of boss. After all the entire success of your business rests in their hands. If they don’t like a product or didn’t have a good experience they are going to let you know with a 1-star review or never shopping with you again! And how about the banks? If you are a growing business and trying to reserve your cashflow you will have to approach a bank for funding. That boss you don’t want to mess with. Do what they say, when they say it or you won’t get your funding. How about your employees? 75 of them to be exact. I could write a whole other blog about the struggles of employing people. They have wants and needs to, don’t come through for them and you may find yourself with nobody to produce your products. So yes I am “the boss” but I have plenty of other “bosses” in my life. - “You make so much more money than being an employee.”
Sure, most business owners do, but nobody ever wants to talk about the financial burdens of being an entrepreneur. Being a business owner means facing the financial tightrope walk, especially in the early stages or in period of rapid expansion. Should I mention that as an employee you are not financially responsible for any “mistakes” that cost the company money. Miss made products, failed ventures, loss in sales, increases in property taxes. As an employee you have the security of knowing your paycheck is coming no matter what happened that week. As an owner I’ve had a $20,000 HVAC unit go down and need to be completely replace a freezer needing a $5,000 repair, oh and by the wa
y we need a plumber at the Cheektowaga location because paper towels are being flushed down the toilet and it’s clogged ($3,000)… all in the same week. $28,000 in repairs in ONE WEEK… Let’s just say profitability was not as high as it should have been that week but all of my staff received their direct deposit, in full on time. As a business owner you can and will make more than being an employee but that also comes with taking the good with the bad. - “It must be nice to have Your employees do all the work”
I am certain most people think I just sit in my office all day eating grapes and drinking Prosecco while my employees do all of the work. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While I can admit that most of the manual labor is covered by my staff that doesn’t mean I am off the hook. I like to say I run around headquarters like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. While I do have an amazing team I am still the ultimate problem-solver, the go-to person for all the tricky decisions, and the one who has to wear the financial crown of burden. So yes, your employees do a lot, but the buck stops with you, and that buck is heavier burden than you know. There are days I wish I could immerse myself in the “physical labor” because my mind would be focused on that task and only that task. This brain NEVER
turns off. - “You must love going to work everyday”
The mythical land of “loving your job every day”, this is simply not true. Yes most days I wake up motivated and inspired to make the day as productive and positive as possible but, other days you’ll just want to lay on the floor and melt down. It’s a mixed bag of emotions but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The saying “when it rains, it pours” is very true in regards to business. Discipline and my team gets me through the rough times. If you cannot persevere the bad times you will never be a successful entrepreneur. Everyday is an adventure and that is what I love the most about this life… That is what gets me inspired to get to work everyday and give it my all.
