What even is a “regular” job? Semantics aside, the heart of our question is about those moments when the stress of entrepreneurship is mounting – do you ever sit back and wonder what if you had just been working for someone else, what life would have been like without all the stress?

Tyler Smith

Yes, I love being a business owner! I love being in control of my own time, space and my finances. Don’t get me wrong, I still deal with the same things as working a regular job but I would say the only difference is, is that the ball is in my court and I’m solely responsible if something doesn’t get done on time or correctly. But; for the most part I love being a business owner. Read more>>

Maggie Kraser

I’m so incredibly happy and fulfilled as a business owner, but I’d be lying if I said that I can’t even count how many times I’ve fantasized about working a regular job. My busiest time of the year is typically between the months of August and November. During these months my personal life and well-being takes a back seat to all of the photoshoots and weddings that I’m doing. My days during this time of the year consist of waking up, responding to emails, sending proofs to my client from the day before, edit whoever is on my editing queue for that day, going on my photoshoot of the day, and then coming home to make dinner and go to bed to do it all again the next day. Read more>>

Barry Stevens

I’ve been blowing glass full time as an individual business owner for 18 years. I started working with glass basically fresh out of high school. Being a business owner is often misunderstood in my opinion. The adage “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” is completely false. I do what I love, and I do love blowing glass. However, if you want to make a living doing something you love, especially if its art, you work EVERY day of your life. I had some circumstances that made me have to get a regular job for a little while a few years back, and only working 40 hours a week was a breeze. I had plenty of free time and a lot less stress. However, I didn’t like what I was doing, and only working for a paycheck felt very unfulfilling. So as soon as I was able to go back to blowing glass full time, working 7 days a week and often 50-60 hours a week, I couldn’t wait. You work harder for the same amount of money most times, but at least working for yourself everything you do benefits you. You put in the extra work because its an investment in yourself, instead of an investment in someone else. In the end, a regular job would be easier, but I know I would never be as happy doing it. Read more>>

Jasmine Barnes

As an entrepreneur, things changes daily . Especially in the beginning, in your first 1-5 years there’s not much revenue coming in . Everything is typically coming in and going right back out . It’s all a risk. I remember just a few months with my cleaning business , Graces Clean , I lost two contracts back to back . I was devastated. Not only did I lose business but that also meant no work for my employees . I wanted to quit so bad . I knew that was the easy way out . A few weeks later we started receiving callbacks from some previous inquiries. Things have turned around and we now have four contracts here. It’s all about mindset and how bad you want your dream to become reality . Nothing rewarding comes easy . Read more>>

Brianna Peacock

Yes and Yes! I am so happy being a business owner. For a few reasons – I love the freedom, I love the creativity, I love the challenge (most of the time), I love feeling like I built something, I love not having a ceiling, I love the excitement of the sort of limitless potential being an entrepreneur provides, I love growing, learning, and improving. That being said, I have also cried on the floor like a baby desperate from relief of it all, of the stress, of the pressure, of the fear, or the responsibility, of the heartache, of the anxiety. I am a single mom raising 5 little girls (five!) and for me Ora is all we got, if I fail there is no backup plan, there is no plan B, theres homelessness and losing everything we have. Read more>>

Lekesha Chapman

I’ve always thought outside the box. Becoming a full scale entrepreneur has always been one of my life goals. Taking a dream and being fully committed to it is nothing short of satisfying. Coming from full time nursing, I’ve experienced job security for many years which was a little frightening at first when starting out. When I decided to bet on myself and give 1000% to my own company, everything fell quickly in place naturally. Read more>>

Melissa Chang

I have owned my business for 15 years and prior to that, the full time jobs that I had were all with companies or bosses that were understanding of my quirky work style. I tend to come into the office at 10 a.m., but they always knew that they’ll get at least 60 hours a week out of me. Not everyone can think that way.. Despite the ebb and flow of clients over the years, business has always been steady enough that I don’t have to worry much about making ends meet. But last fall, the fires in Lahaina, Maui really affected our state’s economy, and the economy was already not doing so well. Due to the economy and the fires, we lost about eight clients in a short amount of time — and were not able to pick up any new ones right away. Read more>>

James Garcia

The short answer to that is Yes. Absolutely. But depending on the day, it can really vary in how I’d respond. Being an owner is an extremely taxing responsibility, especially if your invested in it on a personal and emotional level, not just as a passive investor. The weight of that responsibility can be overwhelming at times. Most of us got into the field we’re in because we loved, or at least were good at the service or product that we offer but as we expand our role in ownership you tend to get farther and farther away from the initial spark. And I don’t say that as a bad thing, it’s just the reality vs. the perception. To enjoy doing it, and not just stick with it out of need, which it seems most unhappy people are doing, you have to really get satisfaction out of the process of confronting and overcoming challenges. I liken it to an indefinite hike through a swamp. There are times where you’re knee deep in the muck, you’re dirty, and smelly, your legs burn from the resistance of the mud, but as you reach the other side and you hit dry ground you find that your legs are stronger and you can move so much faster because of that resistance. But when you’re mid muck, man it would be nice to just tap out sometimes. Ultimately, our job as owners is to deal with and overcome issues. That is a never-ending task and the sooner we shift our expectations to that reality instead of being overwhelmed by it, we can free ourselves up to thrive. Those moments when you’re in the muck though, its very easy to look at any staff employee you interact with in any part of your life and think how much easier it would be to not care, and question if the sleepless nights, waves of anxiety, and moments of desperation searching for an answer you cant find are worth it. And I think that mental escape is ok go through. And It’s ok for the entrepreneur life to ultimately not be for everyone. That doesn’t have to be a failure, it can be a part of your growth to what you are meant to do. Personally, I know I left the employee life behind for a reason. I found purpose in what I could create, and an itch was scratch by developing something that can give other people the chance to find their vocation and not just their occupation. The moments when I get to step back and observe our teams do what they love and what they’re best at, I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Read more>>

Shadija Romero

Happier. I’m most definitely more happier now, as a business owner, than I was in corporate America. My challenge in this happiness is being proud of where I am. As a business owner I’m always trying to figure out how to make my business better while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction, which is great. However, it sometimes robs me of the joy of now. I forget that I am able to live my dream because people love what I create. As I say this I’m making a conscious decision to be prouder of myself and the accomplishments I’ve made as a business owner. Read more>>

Liv Perkins

There is not a doubt in my mind nowadays that I would have failed as an employee of someone else’s dream. I think the people who know me best would say I wasn’t cut out for the 9-5 and that I need a bit of chaos to thrive. The idea of being independent was set in stone for me growing up. My parents were both self-employed, my dad being a creative himself. Seeing their constant hard work and pursual of their businesses grew my incredible amount of respect for them. While it was my only example of what a job could be for my household, I never intended to start a small business. Read more>>

Celi Arias

I think all entrepreneurs ask themselves whether they should get a regular job. We all have those days, and it’s normal. Throughout my life, from a young age, I was an entrepreneur. I went through phases where I’d become exhausted or discouraged, close shop, and get a regular job. And then I’d always be so disillusioned by the system and the lack of creativity allowed at a job that I’d come up with a new idea and a new way to solve a problem and ultimately find myself back at being an entrepreneur again. After doing that dance a few times, I finally accepted that I’m an entrepreneur at heart. That means there will be lows, challenges, frustrations, and moments when I doubt myself. That’s part of the journey; I’ve accepted it now. Accepting my fate has made me more resilient and helped me grow faster in my business, and I no longer think about getting a regular job. Read more>>