You wake up in the early hours of a winter morning. You shower and then devour your breakfast in a hurry.
You make the long commute to work. You stress for eight hours of the day; completing reports, meeting deadlines, putting up with the office drama.
Then it’s 6 pm and dark out. Commuters rush for the remaining seat in a packed out train. By 8 pm, you’re home. Your grim dinner stares back at you. You head to bed early, because you have an early start. And then it hits you: “I just sacrificed another day of my life for a company I don’t care about. For a boss who couldn’t care less about me.”
Wake up. Repeat. Stress. That’s the story of an employee’s life— not an entrepreneur’s.
The above scene is a familiar pattern in many of our lives. It’s not an exciting or particularly rewarding one. We all deserve an opportunity to change it, become a success, and work for ourselves. Becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business can help bring about that change.
Whether you’re looking to launch your own business or have just registered your new company, here are a few reasons to remind you why the decision to be your own boss was the right call.
Work for Yourself
Working nine to five for a company in which you have little emotional investment is quite a struggle. Sure, you’re “making a living”, but are you really living? You’ll rarely find the motivation to go into work because “don’t care” for it enough. And in business, there’s little room for sentimentalism. It’s about being pragmatic and decisive.
However, to stay motivated and fulfil your big dreams, you need to have some emotional attachment. And this only truly comes from starting your dream project or own business. Your baby.
Additionally, the days of working decades for the same company and retiring on their pension are gone. Your income is too important to leave in the hands of others. Becoming an entrepreneur will give you the freedom and power to work for yourself. And when it matters, you’ll work harder than you ever have before. This will bring you success — because hard work truly will pay dividends.
Earn as Much as You Work
Working hard is the stepping stone to success. Once you work for yourself, your work ethic will drastically change as you’ll have no choice but to work for survival. This may sound daunting, but when you have your own business, it becomes your baby, and as a “parent”, you’ll endure sacrifices for your “child’s” success.
Once you understand this, your earning potential can be limitless. You’ll realise the harder you work, the more you can grow and earn. If you were still at an office working for someone else, no matter how hard you worked, you were never going to receive the same amount as the CEO of the company. But now you are the CEO, you can set yourself any financial target you wish. Nothing is unattainable.
Freedom to Live
It’s a sentimental cliche, but “life is precious”. You could spend close to 40-hours-a-week slaving for a company you do not care for and live from paycheck to paycheck — or you could take your business to towering heights and earn enough money to enjoy a better life for yourself and your family.
This does not mean you work less as an entrepreneur — you’ll probably end up working much more. But the difference is this:
– Employee: You have an important family function to attend. You have a dreaded phone call to make (and fake) to your boss. “Can I be excused for Friday?” you ask, petrified. You’re allowed. Just about. But now you’ve lost your holiday entitlement.
– Entrepreneur: You have an important family function to attend. “I’ll take the day off”. Done.
You can always make up the lost time, or delegate when you’re the boss of a company without the added pressure of being judged or scrutinised. Play by your rules.
Choose Your Address
Ever tried carrying your office desk and telling your boss, “I feel like working in the park today”? Perhaps it wouldn’t go down too well. But when you work for yourself (especially for non-brick-and-mortar enterprises), you can work where you like.
Take your laptop to the park, absorb some sunshine and make big decisions. You can’t tell your current boss you want him to buy an office near your house or along the shore of a Barbados beach. But if you only need a laptop for your work, you can decide the location of your business.
Leave Your Legacy
You can’t leave your current manager’s wealth or company to your kids. It’s not yours. But when you become an entrepreneur and launch your own business, you can pass this legacy on to your children and generations to come.
Besides passing your legacy on to your family, your name (and your company name) could be immortalised. For instance, Coca-Cola started 130 years ago and as of May 2019, has a Market Cap of $203 billion. Coca-Cola is known the world over, remains one of the biggest brands in the world — and is showing no signs of slowing down.
A successful entrepreneur can also have a charitable impact on society. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a prime example and has become the largest private foundation in the world.
Conclusion
The pros of choosing to become an entrepreneur are obvious — so this begs the question, “Why doesn’t everyone do it?” The answer is, not everybody has a burning desire to do so; they are happy to live in their comfort zone.
But the truth is, the five points above are not only strong reasons to become an entrepreneur — they also lead to a better way of life. That’s what entrepreneurialism can give you — a better life.
So go and live yours.
