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?

 

Mia Upshaw

Am I happier as a business owner? Yes, because I’m doing what I love and what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m following my dreams and my goals. But am I always happy? No. This is my first year being full-time in my business, in the film industry, and just as a full-time creative. It’s tough—it’s like being on a never-ending rollercoaster. Do I think about what it would be like to have a regular job? Yeah, sometimes. Especially when things get bad—when contracts dry up or when money starts getting tight. Of course, I’ve thought about it. One of my friends told me something that stuck with me. She said, “You’ll probably always feel overworked and underpaid, no matter what. So would you rather feel that way working for someone else’s business or your own?” When she put it like that, it hit me. But even thinking about going back to a regular job isn’t something you can just snap your fingers and do. It takes time to make that kind of switch. Read more>>

Dana Allison

I never planned on being a business owner. We were not an entrepreneurial family, my dad was a janitor and my mom stayed home. My siblings have all worked regular jobs as has most of my extended family. I have always been a little different in that I have worked retail either part-time or full-time for most of my adult life, so I have not had a Monday-Friday job very often and even when I did, I tended to have a second job so working a lot and outside of normal business hours was common for me. I started my business during one of the times when I had a “normal” job, but I had already been laid off from that job once so I had gone back to school and had a part-time retail job just in case. I finished school and found myself with a little extra time so I thought, why not start this wedding and event planning business I had been thinking about. My boss at the time was a small business owner and although he wasn’t the best businessman, I liked the idea of being my own boss and having more control over my time and hours.  Read more>>

Juan Barcenas

This is a question that resonates with me because it’s a thought that crosses my mind every single day. When I decided to pursue an engineering career, it was because I always envisioned myself working for a big company, making a significant impact—companies like FPL, Schneider Electric, ABB, or other multinational corporations. However, when I started this business (with only one year of experience in a completely different industry), I quickly realized a few key points that were hard to grasp at first: You have to start from scratch. This often means doing things you never imagined yourself doing, tasks that can take a lot out of you. It also means you might not see any immediate rewards. Read more>>

Linda Handley

Reflections on Corporate America My journey in corporate America began after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, where I stepped into the dynamic world of health administration and IT. Working at a leading medical center, I had the privilege of collaborating with some of the brightest minds in the field. These experiences sharpened my technical and strategic skills and deepened my appreciation for innovation and teamwork. However, like many in corporate environments, I also encountered challenges. At times, navigating the complexities of administration and bureaucracy required as much ingenuity as the technical solutions we were developing. These moments taught me the value of resilience, adaptability, and, most importantly, the importance of building systems that empower rather than hinder. Read more>>

Rachel Taylor

I truly am happy as a business owner. I continue to learn something new every day, and I’m glad to know that I still have plenty of opportunities for growth. I am grateful for where my business is now in comparison to where it was when it was conceptualized in 2019. Read more>>