Being a business owner isn’t easy. There are amazing highs, but the lows are often quite intense as well. Somedays it feels like the problems never stop – regardless of how much success you achieve. The problems just grow, evolve, morph. So we asked business owners if they sometimes wonder what it would be like to just have a regular job and have shared some of the highlights below.

Kelly Morris

Yes—I’m absolutely thrilled. After 15 years in the institutional/corporate world, my job was eliminated last year, and rather than scramble to fit back into a system that never truly aligned with my values, I made the leap into full-time entrepreneurship. Now, I get to wake up every day focused on small-scale food production, education, and helping others reconnect with their food sources. Read more>>

Christine Dopp

When people ask me if I love my job, my answer is always a big, enthusiastic “YES!” But it wasn’t always this way—back when I was just starting out, I worked as a bartender alongside building my career. Every shift at the bar came with the inevitable “Is this your real job?” question. I’d smile and say, “Yes, but I’m also a photographer,” which usually opened up a whole new can of worms. Not everyone sees photography as a “real” job. And that’s okay—it’s taken me 15 years (10 of those full-time) to know otherwise confidently. Read more>>

Ly Thuy Mai

Am I happier? In general, absolutely.

Becoming a business owner is hands down the best decision I’ve ever made—I know this is what I’m meant to be doing.

But no one is happy every single day running a business. That’s just reality. Read more>>

Shawna Jackson

I can confidently say that being a business owner makes me happier than I ever was working a regular job, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have moments where I wonder what it would be like to clock in, do my work, and then clock out without carrying the weight of an entire business on my shoulders. Read more>>

Ochi Latjuba Vongerichten

I’m incredibly grateful to be a business owner because it allows me to make my own time. Yes, running restaurants comes with its fair share of stress,there’s always something that needs my attention, and the work never really stops, but the trade off is worth it. My teenager and preteen need me now more than ever, and I get to be present for them in ways I don’t think I could if I were working for someone else. I set my schedule around their holidays, their school breaks, their soccer games, and just being there when they need to talk. Read more>>

Anastasia Fedoryaka

I love being a business owner, but it’s not always easy. I wear a lot of hats: look for clients, do readings, create video content for my YouTube channel, make astrological candles and I am about to launch an astrology course. There are often times when I feel burnt out, tired and confused. In fact, only a few days ago I was looking back at my job as video editor before the pandemic and missing the stability of a regular paycheck. Yet every time that thought comes I also remember how much I disliked crazy deadlines and other people telling me what to do. It is so freeing to work for myself. Yes, most times it is difficult and exhausting and often feels like stumbling in the dark, yet it challenges me and makes me better at the end of the day. Plus I now have the best boss! Read more>>

Glenn Shelhamer

This thought doesn’t come up often, but when it does, it’s usually in the form of The Grass Is Always Greener fallacy. I think about my older brother and others who have chosen the slow-and-steady path—finding something they enjoy enough to build a career around, becoming indispensable in their field, and steadily working toward retirement. If done right, they can live comfortably for the rest of their lives, leaving behind a legacy for their children and even their grandchildren. And that’s a beautiful thing. I respect it. Read more>>

Brandon

It excites me everyday to be a business owner. Although in the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey its very hard to maintain a set schedule and income, it gives you many time to think and develop your mind; if you have it in you .. Read more>>

Sarah Ellenbogen

One night last week, that thought hit hard. It was nearly 7 PM, and I was still at my desk, drained from a relentless day. I was deep in Q2 financial projections, fine-tuning my Seed investor deck, and racing to catch up on follow-ups from a packed week of pitches. Earlier, a major deal hit a roadblock, an investor was pressing for deck updates and a recorded pitch, and I had overdue emails stacking up. Read more>>