Have you always wondered what business owners and entrepreneurs do all day? Do they just yell at employees and sit in their offices playing games on the computer? Do they only work a day here and a day there? Well, maybe some, but I can assure you, it wasn’t always that way. And the life of an entrepreneur is not easy.
The Workday in the Life of an Entrepreneur
Oftentimes, the life of a business owner consists of a lot of running around and various tasks. For example, today I rose early to get some coffee, checked a few emails and did some work, attended a chamber of commerce meeting for my local town with one of my business partners (my sister) along with several other owners from the area, stopped to check on employees at our store, and now I am back in my home office typing away. What does the rest of the day look like for me? I’ll give you a hint, it’s a word that starts with ‘W’. Yes, I will be working my butt off for the remainder of the day/evening. Finishing up a website I am designing for one business, figuring out the profits for November for another, nailing down our Christmas promotions for yet another, and plenty of busy company work in between. Yes, this is the life of an entrepreneur. I’ve made the commitment and formed habits that I perform daily to reach my goals. It’s not glamorous all the time, it’s not easy all the time, but why do I keep chiming on? Why would anyone choose to be in business after hearing all that? Because it’s worth it in the end when my companies will be able to operate themselves to a larger degree and I won’t be reporting to anyone except my family and the beach.
The life of an entrepreneur involves a number of different out-of-the-box situations, generally speaking. From taxes to employee issues, to sales and profits and inventory to you name it ah! For some reason, many have the misconception that being in business is all glory and little work. Not true. Again, maybe eventually for some who have put in the time initially and grown a business to the point where it can operate itself, but for many entrepreneurs, it’s a daily grind. Of course, it’s a grind they do enjoy and most likely chose to participate in. Being a business owner is about being accountable for everything that takes place within your company. Also, you have to stay organized, or pretty soon money will be missing and your doors will be closing. Going into business could be compared to going sledding in the wintertime. The walk up the hill is long and tiring as you trek through the snow trying to get to the top. It’s a long walk to the top, some may not even bother to go all the way to the top, and they may quit when things get tough. However, if you do make it to the top, that is when you get to slide down the hill and begin receiving the joys of all the work you put in getting to the top. That is the moment that everyone wants. That is the feeling of a successful entrepreneur.
Once you’ve dealt with the obstacles of growing a company and put in the time to grow your business to a point it can operate itself, this is when you reap the rewards. You now have little time restrictions and an income that generates itself allowing you to live your life without having to trade time for money. Sure you might still be inclined to put in some hours making sure everything with your business is running efficiently, but generally speaking, your life is lived the way you want it to be lived. You get to go where you want to go, when you want to go, with whom you want to go there. It’s pretty awesome if you stop to think about it. Congratulations, you’re sledding down the hill now, not walking up to it.
The life of an entrepreneur is NOT easy and it takes great dedication and sacrifice. Time, money, family, and a number of other things are impacted in the life of an entrepreneur. However, as we have talked about, the payoff is truly grand.
The question becomes, do you have what it takes to survive the daily grind in the life of an entrepreneur? Are you willing to make the sacrifices? If you make the commitment, work hard, and make the initial sacrifices involved with building a business, soon you’ll be sledding down the hill with your family and nothing but fresh air and hot chocolate.