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.

Jamie Von Stratton

I am an artist for a living. I am an artist for a living in Seattle, the 7th most expensive city to live in the United States. I think about the alternate reality where I got a job in HR at Microsoft in 1999, or maybe I stuck it out in retail and invested wisely. Read More>>

Dominique Ransom

Being a business owner is a wild ride. Read More>>

Kim Miss

I’m happy as a business owner, but I’ll be honest , it’s not a 9-to-5 life. I’m pretty much on call all the time, working late into the night and sometimes right through to the early morning hours. The hustle never really stops. Read More>>

Michelle Jones

After more than ten years of running my business, I can confidently say yes, I’m happier as a business owner. Entrepreneurship has allowed me to use my gifts and skills in the most meaningful way while giving me the flexibility and freedom I need in my schedule. That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses. Read More>>

Alaina Martin

Absolutely, I love being a business owner. I get to build something that’s mine, on my terms, with no limits it’s about creating a brand and a legacy, not just chasing money. Sure, sometimes I think about what having a regular job would be like again, but that’s fleeting; I’ve never been wired to just clock in and wait for a paycheck. Read More>>

Emi Kirschner

Yes! I love being a business owner. It’s the best course in personal development anyone could go through. There are so many challenges and sacrifices that you move through, but it’s worth all the challenges to experience growth both in yourself and what you create in the business. Read More>>

Andy Prieto

 

Being an entrepreneur is one of the most exciting yet nerve-racking journeys you can take in life. For the last 20 years, I have been on this journey. Having successfully started several businesses, I have also failed in some ventures. This back-and-forth created a sense of instability at times. Read More>>

Isabel Espinoza

Sometimes being a business owner can be challenging, and I occasionally wonder what life would have been like if I had stayed in a traditional 9–5 job. However, the rewards that come with entrepreneurship are truly invaluable, and I can’t imagine giving them up. I’m a proud mom to a 7-year-old daughter who just beat cancer this month after a long five-year battle. Read More>>

Heather Spadaro

That is a deep question, and honestly, every single entrepreneur I know thinks about it—myself included. Am I happier as a business owner? Unequivocally, yes. But that “yes” comes with the knowledge that it is a hell of a lot harder. Read More>>