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.
JuQoyia Williamson
Overall, business ownership is not for the weak. Out of a 12+ year span, I’ve only not had a job for about 2 of those years combined. I’ve always had a decent career and made good money working, so I always believed to have a backup plan just in case one of my businesses didn’t work. I tried the entire work for myself full-time and it almost drove me crazy! Read more>>
Noelle Peterson
Though I’ve always been an artist, when I was younger I wanted to be a zoologist. I went to college for science, but part way through was diagnosed with h-EDS, a genetic disease that affects my musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. This diagnosis forced me to re-examine my life and my physical limitations and gave me the courage to take a chance on a different kind of career. I never thought I could make money as a photographer, and honestly it has been a struggle, but I am so, so happy with my job. Read more>>
JAY Arbetman
I work in an office in my home in Oak Park, IL. 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 daughters, 1 wife. I’ve done a lot of traveling over the last 50 years and I’ve pretty much had my fill. Being able to spend 90% of my days in my home has been great. I like the other animals and humans that are here. I’ve got an interesting little office and six or seven guitars. It’s all good. Read more>>
Mykia J.
I am happy being a business owner. I am exhilarated daily to know that I get to awake every morning and chase my personal dreams and assist others to chase their dreams as well. I often think about what it would be like to have a “regular job”. When thinking about entering the corporate world again I know without a doubt it would have to be a career where I am able to still be creative and incorporate my incredible ability to be a thought partner. Read more>>
Stephani Lofthouse
I have been doing photography for 18 years now and finally went full time at year 17. It was a scary decision but worth it. It was May 2021 when I put my two weeks in at a job that clearly wasn’t for me anymore. I got to the point where I was ridden with anxiety just by clocking in. I was bullied for 6 years for various things, rumors and misunderstandings. My mental health was rapidly declining as it had been since my divorce at the beginning of that job. It also had a negative impact on my art and my desire to create art. Read more>>
Wesley Papp
Overall I would definitely say that I’m much happier as a business owner than I was working primarily for somebody else. I really enjoy the freedom that it brings to my daily life. As much as I do miss sometimes the stability and routine of a normal day job, I definitely think that running my own business has pushed me to grow much faster at my current stage of life. Going into my sophomore year of college, I was very unsure of what my financial future looked like. Read more>>
Harris Owens.
There is so much I’d like to talk about here. … I think the primary reason this is a difficult question to answer is because I operate a business doing what makes me happy to support myself financially. There is always a battle to not lose what you love when it is everything that you do. Read more>>
Kathryn Dickinson
I have said this many times before. Building your own business takes twice as long as you think, is three times more expensive than you budgeted and is ten times harder than you expected. But it is also one hundred times more rewarding than you could ever imagine. I sometimes wish for things to be less stressful and to grow faster and not have all of the hurdles, but that is also part of what makes it so rewarding, knowing that you have gotten to the other side and accomplished so much. Read more>>
Brittany Cooper.
Being a business owner isn’t easy but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I truly get to wake up everyday and do what I love. I honestly do not think what it would be like to have a regular job. My dedication to my firm is to work so hard that I never have to think about working for someone else. Despite the long hours, the financial stresses, and the general difficulty of running your own company, my mission in life is to create an empire in the world of design. Read more>>
Barbara Bloom
I love the gift I have been given to have a business with my husband, and to create wonderful products. Our business came about through a financial reversal when we both lost our corporate jobs in the 2009-2010 economic downturn. Until that time we were corporate worker bees and only gave thought in passing about having her own business. Read more>>
María Belén Gallardo
Having your own business or working for someone else has its advantages and disadvantages. In my case, I like having my own business, because I don’t depend on a boss to receive my earnings. I have a lot of fun, I have free time to learn other things, I make my own decisions. That’s why I consider myself an entrepreneur. Read more>>
Andessa Augustin
As a business owner, the market can be saturated and this can cause one to become unmotivated in their craft. I can say that I am my happiest self when I am creating products and mixing scents. It is therapeutic for me and a sense of release. I am also a 9-5er and full time student which can be very stressful at time. Read more>>