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.

Syerra Donaldson

As a mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral therapist, a personal development specialist, and a chef, this is a question I sometimes wrestle with. Do I ever think about what it would be like to have a “regular” job? Absolutely. In fact, the last time this crossed my mind, I was in the middle of a particularly long day. Between catering orders and therapy clients, I felt like I was juggling a hundred responsibilities, each one pulling me in a different direction. I started wondering what it would be like to clock out at a set time, to know what each day would look like, and to have fewer things constantly on my mind. Read more>>

Jennifer Williamson

I never imagined I would be a business owner. I never really thought much about what exactly I would do. At a young age, I knew I loved creating art, specifically sketching and sculpting. I knew I loved to cook, specifically bake. I knew I loved to bake and cook for my loved ones, and it was always an act of love. I never imagined I could turn these passions into a living and thriving business. Maybe I was too naive to think about it, which I’m absolutely grateful for. It kind of just naturally happened. Read more>>

Adriana Brito

I am the happiest as a business owner. I sometimes think about what it would be like to have a regular job because most people usually have a “normal” job and when I tell them what I do and that I make a living with my own jewelry business, they don’t see it or believe it is possible. The truth is that I don’t miss my 9/5 at all and I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made. Last year I quit my corporate job in Houston and came to Austin, with fear, but with so many dreams! It may be hard at times to be a business owner, but let me tell you, it is so worth it and rewarding! Read more>>

Chelsea Schmidt

I think every business owner has the thought of what it would be like to wake up, go into work, and leave work at 5 pm without constantly checking emails after the end of the business day, at least once a week. It’s a really curious thought and my mind does wonder what life would be like. To be fair, my mind wanders a lot and I think that’s from not only curiosity but that fact that my brain doesn’t shut off. I quickly come back to my own reality of chaos, but also freedom. Everything I have around me including not only my possessions, but my community and my team, came from the craziness of owning my own business. That’s something a regular job could have never given me. You’ll never love anyone’s business as much as you love your own because when it’s yours, everything is on the line. I think that taught me and is still teaching me so much about hustle and the heart behind it. I think at the end of the day, knowing everything that a “regular job” could give you and still choosing every single high and every single low from owning your own business is the difference between a business owner who has the grit and one who doesn’t. I wouldn’t give any of this up if I tried. I honestly think that I would become bored! There is also something so incredible about reflecting on the life that you have given to yourself. Read more>>

Bree Bridgette

As a business owner, I genuinely find joy in what I do. My business is still fairly new, and while there are certainly challenges, the excitement of building something from the ground up keeps me motivated. That said, I do often think about what it might be like to have a regular job. It’s a thought that crosses my mind more often than I’d like to admit. Just the other day, I had one of those moments. I was sitting at my desk, surrounded by a whirlwind of tasks—marketing, editing videos, recording content, managing contracts, and uploading everything to various platforms. The weight of it all felt particularly heavy that day. I found myself daydreaming about a 9-to-5 job where I could just clock in, do my work, and clock out, without the constant pressure of being responsible for every single aspect of a business. Read more>>

Gabriela Mafra

I couldn’t be happier, but I actually haven’t thought about being a business owner when I was younger. I’m from Brazil and I worked for Global Companies when I was there, so I learned a lot and I’ve grown a lot professionally. I moved to New York with my husband, he is a lawyer and he was working so hard that we didn’t have much time together. When the pandemic came we were spending more time together at home and we’ve realized we should enjoy our lives. Then I had an accident, and after facing a terrible post traumatic disorder I really thought we should stop living in automatic mode and do something we would be happier. So we had an opportunity to start our own pet care business and it was the greatest decision we have ever made. Being a business owner gave me the opportunity to implement a lot of ideas that I wasn’t able to execute when I used to have a regular job. I’ve worked with marketing my whole career and now I have the chance to apply everything I’ve learned before to my own company. Besides that, we love dogs and they give us so much love every day that it makes our days easier and happier. My husband and I work great together and we have control of our lives. Being a business owner gives us the freedom we didn’t know we needed until we had it. Read more>>

Chris Han

I am definitely happier as a business owner compared to being at my previous corporate job. I worked for 3 years as a data scientist at a Fortune 500 company and while I learned a lot and had a comfortable lifestyle, I was never truly happy or satisfied with the work I was doing. I had a burning desire to pursue my passion as well as make a more tangible impact with the people in my day to day life.  I don’t really have the thought of going back to a regular job often. As of now, I’m completely focused on how to make my business financially viable enough for me to not have to go back to a regular job. Read more>>

Christopher Corridore

I’m much happier as a business owner than I ever was as a full-time employee. Especially at a time when job security doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I think for me the sense of control that comes with entrepreneurship is the reason that is. I’m still early on my entrepreneurial journey. I remember over the summer feeling really burnt out of all the ups and downs, not making money, and watching my credit card limits being reached. From a strictly financial standpoint, I wrestled with the whole “should I or shouldn’t I just go get a job’ thoughts many times. I felt really stuck and conflicted. I spoke with my business coach and he reminded me that this isn’t for everyone and if I wanted to get a job, he would help me do it. He continued to remind me that the process for finding clients was the same as as finding a job. “What are you going to submit a resumés?” he asked. No you’re gooing to go talk to as many people as you can. Read more>>

Annemarie Schindler

I have had my consulting practice for 8 years and I’m always surprised when this question pops into my awareness. On most days and months, the clients, the projects, and the work keeps me busy. I feel purposeful, engaged, and like I am making difference. This summer was especially busy. I had a variety of clients and projects, some where the path to success felt very clear and others where we really needed to wade through what the best approach would be. Most days, I enjoy code-switching (toggling between strategy and tactics) but through my daily journaling and conversations with a colleague, I began to notice that the patterns of predictability, circular of decision making, and lack of strategy with one client were becoming very challenging to me. The dilemma was that this was our largest client, making up nearly a third of our revenue each year. Read more>>