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.

Jill Wasilewski .

I both love being a business owner, and also regularly think about how nice it would be to have a regular job. Of course, for me that job would still be cooking or baking, but doing so without looking through the relentless lens of ownership. The minute I opened the doors to my restaurant, I learned that being the owner means doing less and less of what you love and what made you start that business in the first place — and instead doing more of what you don’t necessarily love: payroll, HR, accounting, scheduling, legal-stuff, the list never ends. Read more>>

Buddy Clay.

Yes, I am happier, and yes I do think about having a regular job. As a business owner, you don’t have certain luxury’s that 9-5 employees have. For instance, being able to clock out. Clocking out doesn’t exist for a CEO, especially when a business is new. There is always something going on, or something that needs to be taken care of. and I can’t “leave my work at the office” During the first year of business for New Hope Healthcare, Read more>>

Damontez Pendleton

I’m definitely happier as a business owner opposed to being an employee because I have the freedom to do what I want and what I love. I’ve had several jobs and I didn’t like the experience of working for someone. The only way I’ll work for someone else is to learn more information to make myself a better business owner. Read more>>

Chelsea Bunn

My quality of life has improved so much since I became a business owner. Before I started Good Scary Studios I was working at a corporate design job. Although I was technically “creating”, the office and team I was working with did not necessarily inspire creativity. I am now able to intuitively create my own schedule, decide for myself how much work I want to take on, and listen to my body when I need rest. And who doesn’t love hanging out with their dog all day? Read more>>

Alysha Light.

I am absolutely happier as a business owner! That’s not to say that there aren’t moments and times when I think, “Man, it would be so much easier if I just took a job.” But then I remember how often, when I did have a job, I would feel caged, restrained, and restricted to the point that I was really miserable. The lowest points I’ve experienced as an entrepreneur actually don’t compare to what I dealt with in the corporate world, which is how I know for sure that this is the right path for me. Read more>>

Christa Barone

There are no words to describe how much happier I am as a business owner. It’s easy to think having a “regular job” would be easier – you just show up and clock out at the end of the day. However, freedom and self-dependence are worth it all. I love my clients and helping others but I also love running my business as I see fit. Being a consultant/contractor allows for a balance of the two. Read more>>

Amber Braswell

Let your 9-5 work for you! Like many business owners I still work my 9-5. I currently work in the public health field and received my Master’s degree in Human Service Administration from Coppin State University a couple years before I started Studio D 360. Like many others I come from a household where college is a “must” and while I am thankful for my college experience, Read more>>

Millisa Picazo

I am extremely happy as a business owner. I am thankful that I’ve been able to say that successfully for a few years now. It is a lot more work but, it is very satisfying to see how far I’ve come in building something from nothing. I have worked regular jobs in the past. I wanted to try the typical 9 to 5 office jobs, I figured it would be fun but, it was miserable for me. I’m not myself without creating. Read more>>

Lucy Greenleaf

Prior to owning Arioso Strings I worked as a free-lance musician for many years, and have also held a “regular” 9-5 job in the past. Even now owning my own business, I continue to perform within the Triangle Are of North Carolina as my schedule allows. Owning Arioso Strings is actually very new to me – I purchased the business from my friend and colleague Mary Page Block and began running the operation starting January 1, 2022. While I am still learning so much about business ownership, it has been very rewarding so far and I’ve been able to draw on my previous work experience to help guide me through this new territory. Read more>>

Erica Sanders

I am so happy to be an independent, woman-owned small business! I have both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in education and was a high school teacher for nine years prior to becoming a full time small business owner. I always had a side hustle while I taught, so I wasn’t new to the small business world, but taking the leap from side hustle to full time was a big decision. I don’t ever wonder what it would be like to have a regular job (because I had one!), rather I’m thankful every day that I have the opportunity to utilize the skills I learned from my “regular job” to grow my own business. Read more>>

Shannon Kelly-Bowers

I must say that I am very happy to be a business owner. It is a great accomplishment to be an entrepreneur. The feeling of empowerment when you’re able to execute your vision is unmatched. I work full-time for the Federal Government and operate my business after hours. I often wonder what it would be like to operate my business full-time. I know it would be a lot of work but along with that I foresee it to be very rewarding. At some point in the future, I do intend to operate my business on a full-time basis. Read more>>

Juliette Beckham

I’ve always been a big overthinker when it comes to the “what if’s” in life. What IF I never picked up a camera when I was little or had a supportive family when it came to being an artsy child? What IF I actually listened to my high school guidance counselor when he said it was “not a smart life choice” and “I wouldn’t make it” when I told him I wanted to be a full-time photographer after I graduated? Read more>>

Tory Erpenbeck

I am significantly happier as a business owner than I’ve ever been at a job. The only advantage that I personally see for having a “regular” job over being an entrepreneur is having that steady paycheck that you can count on and knowing for certain how much money you’ll make in any given week/month. There are a lot of unknowns and variables in running a business. But really, at a “regular” job, you could be laid off or fired unexpectedly at any time. So is it really that much more stable? Read more>>

Georgia Tardy

I am more fulfilled as a business owner than being an employee. I have worked since I was 14 years old and have had every kind of job under the sun from corporate America to housekeeper. So I don’t have to wonder what it is like to have a “regular” job because I’ve had so many job experiences in a variety of industries. I don’t miss being an employee nor do I regret my decision to start my own business. Don’t get me wrong it’s hard as hell out here! But I would much rather spend my time building my own dream than someone else’s. Read more>>

Nneka “Nikki” Searcy-Lamisere

I love being a business owner! Being the “boss” doesn’t come without challenges, but using my education, experience, gifts and talents to create an abundant life is extremely fulfilling. The best part of what I do is helping others when they schedule or shop with me. While “doing business” with Simply Natural, my clients and customers are actually investing in their positive health and well-being. We exchange energy, so everyone wins! Read more>>

Jill Oelkers

As business owners I think it’s natural and understandable to ask this question or wonder about this often. I can never leave work and just stop working, it’s 24/7 from answering texts to updating social media, to employee concerns and on and on. So sometimes I do think it would be nice to just let someone else be the boss and I just work my hours and leave work behind when I leave. When do I think about this most? Read more>>

Bailey Morris

While I am happy to be a business owner, especially at my young age, I actually think of this question weekly. While I currently run my own baking business and do very well at it, I work another full-time job on the side, so somedays it feels like my to-do list is never ending. I often look at my peers who are working one single job under some one else and wonder if that is easier or more fulfilling to them and think it could be to me too. Read more>>

Patricia Watson

When I started my business, I was a regular shmegular employee. Now don’t get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with that. It was VERY challenging to work my 9 to 5 which always turned into 8-8 or longer as well as work on my passion. I kept saying, “Lord I’m tired” and ” Dang, I wish I could just work on my passion”… WELP be careful what you wish for and be SPECIFIC in your prayers, because God sat me ALL THE WAY DOWN. Read more>>

Jarian Liggens

Being a business owner is not for the weak hearted. Nor is it for those who have no discipline or determination. you definitely have to be a self-motivated individual to operate in this field. I have personally had my ups and downs as far as confidence goes and believing in myself and my business. It takes a lot of faith I will say, and sometimes that can be exhausting. The security of having a regular job where the pressure is not all on you, you are not the boss. Read more>>

Noemi Katan

Yes, I am a happy entrepreneur, but many times I wonder if I made the right decision. Many times I think if going back to my career is an option. Because I really like my profession but I also really enjoy what I do now. It is more difficult to be bussines owner but it also has so many rewards. Read more>>

Taylor McCann

I love being a business owner but I would be lying if I said there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about what it would be like to give it all up and work for someone else. Owning my own business means everything, and I mean everything, falls onto my shoulders and that can get exhausting. At the end of the month when I tally up my income that number is the result of my hard work and mine alone. It’s not to say that I don’t have an amazing support system because I do, it would just be so much easier to clock in and clock out and not have to worry about the day-to-day operations of a business. Read more>>

Heather Garrigus

I cannot imagine not having my own business and working for someone else. I have been doing it so long, I just don’t think I could go back. It is always challenging running your own business, but that also makes it that much more rewarding. I learned long ago to never get complacent and to always keep evolving and striving for better. I worked for someone early on, but it was very limiting and I felt like I reached the ceiling very quickly. That doesn’t work well for someone who is always looking to grow and improve to higher levels. Read more>>

Michael Huh

Growing up, I was always a risk taker. Playing basketball, if we were down by 2, I would want to shoot the 3 to win instead of the 2 for the tie. Playing golf, I’m always taking the risky shots because I want to see if I can pull it off. I’ve always been wired a little differently. The idea of working a regular job is awful to me. And I have worked regular jobs before, but I never felt fullfilled nor truly passionate about working those jobs. I’ve been fired before and looking back at it now, I’m very thankful of those times because it let me know that working a regular job just wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Rachel Nelson

I came to be a business owner a little later in life. During my teens and twenties I always worked a regular job. I dreamed of having my own business and being my own boss. I wanted to lice life on my own clock. I started my business in November of 2011 but still at that time was working a regular job as well. It took me some time before I took the ‘leap’ to doing my own work completely. Now I am my own boss and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Read more>>

Kora Polydore

This is a loaded question because since COVID I think about trading in my apron more for Zoom meetings and telework from home often. . Running a food business since COVID has been hard and definitely unexpected things have been happening that I have no control over. Entrepreneurship is already hard, but add COVID, staff shortages, rising food cost, the longer hours worked, and so on and so forth. Working for someone else and letting them have all the weight on their shoulders sounds better and better by the day. Read more>>

Carly Fisher.

I do genuinely feel happier as a business owner. I am pretty particular in my process, routine and systems. However I fully admit that I ask myself all the time what it would be like to work for someone else or have a job that’s not a hairstylist or owner. This bridal season has been brutal to say the least. Definitely the most demanding year both with volume of clients and with clients expectations. I have clients and their family who feel the need to contact me at crazy hours- I am talking 6 am on a Sunday calling me to see if they can bring a jeweled hair piece to the wedding. Read more>>

Callie Weaks

For the majority of my life, I have had some very interesting, unique jobs. From being a nanny for the State representative of Texas to managing a Hair salon and getting them to a place of excellence, I have always preferred to not work a regular 9-5. I have, however, worked 9-5 jobs and as much as I loathed them, it taught me how to work with people and always provide value. I think every single person should work in retail or the service industry at some point in their life. I think it’s a humbling experience and teaches us how not to treat people and how to implement positive interactions? in the future jobs Read more>>

Danette Mahabeer

I am an extremely happy business owner. I have always admired entrepreneurs and aspire to be one someday. I have had regular jobs before so I totally understand how those work. I transitioned from a regular job to being my own boss and I wouldn’t change that for the world. Some of the advantages of being my own boss versus a regular job are making my own schedule, having a flexible schedule, having financial freedom, and setting my own pace. Read more>>

Rahbynn Phillips-Brown

Am I happier as a business owner, kinda, I can finally admit I’m a little insane. LOL. Do I ever think about getting a regular job, of course, health insurance is not cheap! I am never going to knock the hustle or anyone who is making money. To me a regular job is traveling once or twice a week to train employees hands on, creating job descriptions and leading orientations for new hires. Being a business owner is not always glamorous and I do think about my old regular job from time to time, but it helped shape me into who I am. Read more>>

Laura Mitchell.

Like so many things related to happiness, it depends on the day, right? Some days I love the flexibility, the control, and the opportunity being a small business owner allows for me to grow and learn . However, other days the unpredictability and fluidity of it all can make me a little unsure of myself. The hard thing for me is not having that linear trajectory some other jobs offer–not knowing where I am going and if I am on track. I try to remind myself that although other people (in more traditional jobs) might appear like they have it all together, they are probably questioning themselves and their decisions just as much as I am. Read more>>

Khaliah

I am extremely happy and grateful to be able to be in the position to be a business owner . I wouldn’t have it any other way , I’ve been on my own working since the age of 15 years old and I’ve worked at places like taco hello , big lots , forever 21 and I never got fulfillment from working a 9-5 . Even my years as a dancer I didn’t get that fulfillment , I always felt like something was missing and I had a bigger purpose in life . Read more>>