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.

Philippe Schaedler

I imagine that, like many business owners, there are moments where the thought of having a regular job might cross the mind. For someone who’s spent years building something from the ground up, like I did with MOND, it’s not uncommon to reflect on how different life might have been without the pressures and responsibilities of entrepreneurship. There’s probably a mix of pride and exhaustion, especially during challenging times. For example, imagine a day when everything seems to be going wrong—orders are delayed, a product launch hits unexpected snags, and social media engagement dips despite all efforts. In a moment of fatigue, you might briefly fantasize about the simplicity of clocking in and out of a traditional job, leaving work behind at the end of the day. But then, you remember why you started in the first place: the passion for the product, the satisfaction of solving a problem no one else could, and the freedom to shape your vision without constraint. Read more>>

Sevy!

Being an artist and perusing a career in music sounds fun when you hear all the cool rock n’ roll stories from back in the day. Traveling from city to city, hanging out with your best friends, playing music for people.. but you very rarely hear about the comparisons to normal life. I’ve been trying to build my career for the past 6-7 years, in that time I’ve watched my best friends get married, buy houses, start families, buy cars, and just seemingly get ahead in life while I struggle financially, own nothing but a van and a few guitars, and live 700 miles away from my loved ones. When I go through low times in my career, or I’m not writing as much or I don’t have a gig on a weekend, my mind tends to wander about what my life would be like if I chose to finish college, get a job, and be “normal”. Sometimes I crave it. But then, I’ll write a song, or I’ll play a show where someone FEELS the lyrics I’ve written, or I’ll get more than 10,000 streams on a song, and it reminds me that, this is what I was meant to do, this is what, I believe, God put me on this earth to do. Read more>>

Isabella Morin

I don’t often let myself go to the version of life of working a regular job, and that’s for quite a few reasons. Working a regular job is not my reality nor is it what I want. I’d rather focus my thoughts on growing myself as a business owner than concentrate on the alternate reality. I tell people all the time that becoming a business owner was the best thing I could’ve done for myself. I have always had the type of work ethic that thrives off of productivity, making systems efficient, utilizing my time the best way I know how, and continually pushing myself to be better than I was yesterday. I enjoy having the autonomy to make my own schedule, rules, and systems for implementing services. Even in college I would daydream about what it would be like when I became my own boss. I took notes about how I would run my business to remind myself exactly what I want to implement. Read more>>

Devanshi Patel

Honestly I am happy being an artist and business owner. I did have a regular 8-5 job and I do not want to go back to that. But this is now. Until last year I did think about going back, what if this doesn’t work. But that was all coming from outside or people around me because they thought of my henna art as hobby and not a carrier option and that made me doubt myself. From inside I knew this is what I want to do but didn’t have voice to say that. While working on my business I was looking for regular job as well. I did get one and I had major anxiety before starting as if my gut feeling was telling me you don’t want to do this yet. I called them and turn down the job I told my husband and we did have disagreements. He thought I was panicking, but to my surprise I found my voice somehow and told him I want to be an artist I love doing what I do and it makes me happy. Henna is like meditation for me. And I’m able to balance work and home and my child.  Read more>>

Priscila Zoullas

I am truly happy as an independent female business owner and being able to support a cause that I believe in and showcase OIYA’s designs to the world. While I am a small business owner at the moment, I believe OIYA will continue to grow in this industry. If I was working a regular job, I would apply my same work ethic to make sure that business thrives. Read more>>

Yessenia Montalvo

The best decision was to become a business owner. In my line of business, there aren’t many women boxing coaches who teach Olympic Amateur Boxing in the state of NJ. I used to be a police detective for the City of Newark and retired early due to on the job stress. Boxing is what got me out of my depression and on to helping others. Read more>>

Alex Mufson

I knew I was a CEO at three years old, when I had an imaginary…business! I had the last remaining Wooly Mammoth down in South America and I even had an assistant named Michelle. I would become enraged when my mother wouldn’t take me to O’Hare Airport to catch my planes– she really didn’t understand the responsibility of a CEO! All that to say, I’ve always known business ownership was for me. I did do a stint as a W2 employee at one point because after receiving a Masters in Social Work I was required to have supervised clinical hours for a state license, so I had to get a “real job” after being self-employed for my whole career. Experiencing both, I can say that there is perceived security in a W2 job. Read more>>

Nadine Nichols

This question stood out to me because it is something that crosses my mind rather often. Absolutely i wonder if having a “regular” job would eliminate stress or help pay for insurance benefits. But quickly i realize how blessed i am to be working in a creative field where i can control everything. I own Nadine Rose Hair Studio LLC in Medina Ohio and i am my own boss and get to offer services i feel most confident in. I also run Nadine Rose Photography on my own and get to work with families and individuals to create lasting memories. Read more>>

Asia-miree T.

Am I happier as a business owner? Well… I recently had my first experience in Corporate America, and it was eye-opening. After years of running my own business and setting my own pace, I thought it might be a good idea to step into a more traditional role to broaden my expertise in marketing. I quickly realized, however, that the corporate environment was quite different from what I was used to. Read more>>