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.

Britney Irving

I am growing happier each day as a business owner. The love of entrepreneurship is a journey, not an end destination. At one point, I wondered if I should get a 9-5 job. Read more>>

Kelly Winter

This is an intriguing question for me because owning my own business is the only thing that has ever offered me a satisfied heart and content spirit. Read more>>

Monique Griffin Angela Edwards

As business owners, we are truly grateful for the opportunity to pursue our passion and share it with others through The Pour Up Wine. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see something we’ve created come to life and brings joy to our customers. Read more>>

David Bach

I think I can speak on behalf of most small business owners and say that this thought often floats through our minds like a cruise ship, with it’s predictability, stability, and sanitized carnival for the masses. Read more>>

Alexandra Schuetz

As a business owner, I’ve found immense fulfillment in pursuing my passions and shaping my own destiny. The autonomy to design my schedule, select clients, and integrate my roles as a mother and entrepreneur has been empowering. Read more>>

Isa Strawberry

Being an independent worker, and an artist, I ask myself this question on a regular basis! I LOVE everything I do. I love the connections I have with my clients. Read more>>

Jason Kraus

Throughout the year, I experience feasts and famines when there isn’t business coming in and the flow of students have ceased. It gets very scary when you don’t know where your next check is coming from or anticipating the day when clients no longer seek luxury items, like hand-forged knives. Read more>>

Taya Hawkins

I am decently happy as a business owner. I don’t feel like I am where I want to be in my business but I know I will get there. I don’t have thoughts about what it’s like to work a regular job because I’ve been there before. Read more>>

Jalen Jones

I feel that being happy to be a business owner is an understatement. I’m beyond blessed to be able to make a living from my talents as a creative. I’ve had experience with regular jobs before, but I feel that it nowhere near compares to running your own business. Read more>>

Lana W.

Truthfully I think there is a massive lack in transparency regarding entrepreneurship. It is not all glitz and glam and it certainly isn’t a ‘get rich quick’ scheme’. Read more>>

Shanequa Dasher

I’m definitely happier as a business owner, however, I’d be dishonest if I didn’t say that it comes with its own set of cons. As a business owner, your work output and effort determine if you’re going to get paid, and your payment frequency is not as regularly consistent as a salaried career may be. Read more>>

Leslie Witter

Am I happier as a business owner? I’ve certainly asked myself a version of that question multiple times as a small-scale market gardener currently working as owner/operator and sole employee. Read more>>

Erika Arlee

Running your own business in a highly competitive, creative industry like film isn’t for the faint of heart. I think all entrepreneurs have wondered what it would be like to have a “normal” job, especially when you’re in a season of breaking down in order to re-build. Read more>>

Veronica Knotts

This thought sneaks up on me at random times. I love being a business owner for many reasons. However, no matter what job you have, you’re very likely to think about what you don’t have. Read more>>

Terry Kaye

As a business owner, I find immense fulfillment in what I do, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I cherish the autonomy and flexibility my industry affords me; being able to set my own hours has been invaluable, especially in balancing my roles as a wife and mother. Read more>>

Mobeen Mian

I think it is safe to say that I have worked a 9 to 5 in my past before, and it is okay to do that for anybody that is still doing that out there. It really is all about the strategy that you use while you are working that 9 to 5 that will eventually set you up for success in the future. Read more>>

Kenneth Temple

My whole life all I wanted to be was an entrepreneur. I remember being really young and my mom was watching the news, and a man came on with the title, “entrepreneur”. Read more>>

Alaina Ralph

I love having my own business and the creative freedom in affords me along with other perks like setting my own schedule. But there is something to be said for working for someone else and leaving the job at the office at the end of the day. Read more>>

Brooke Turpin

My journey has included executive positions at well-known brands including Giorgio Armani, Barneys New York, and Variety. These experiences weren’t just about climbing the career ladder; Read more>>

Victor Loo

As a business owner/ principal consultant, and model, I find myself at the crossroads of varied professional arenas, utilizing my distinct skills and insights to navigate through multiple industries. Read more>>

Lindsay Coser

I am very happy as a business owner. I am in the process of expanding my photography business and start new ventures as well. Being a small business owner does have it’s ups and downs. Read more>>

Dave Russo

I have seldom thought about working for someone else to have a “regular job.” My family and I have experienced and lived through a few traumatic health events over the last 10+ years. Read more>>

Tonya Smith

I am happy as a business owner, however, there was a point and time where I was like I wish I had a 9-5, because it seems easier to have a regular job with normal /predictable hours; unlike when you own your own business there are not really set hours, you are always doing something related to the business even when the business is closed for the day. Read more>>

John Puakea

I really do enjoy being a business owner, it’s not so much the owning a business part that I enjoy its being part of a business that I truly have passion for, working with a small team to come up with ideas, solutions and be creative with, leaning on each other when it’s needed and feeding off of each other is really fun so yes, I truly enjoy it. Read more>>