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.

Roberta Fisher

To be completely honest, everyday isn’t a good day + every week isn’t a great week. Regardless of the bad weeks, days, months, or years, there is absolutely nothing like owning your own business. There are never moments that cross my mind where I think about what it would be like to just have a regular job, because it’s truly hard to imagine myself working for anyone else. Please be advised that I’m not degrading anyone who isn’t a business owner, for the business owning route isn’t for everyone.  Read more>>

Christina Passanise

Just like anyone who’s started out in an industry, I had the opportunity to work for many companies as an employee. During that time I learned everything about what I liked about being an employee, what I didn’t and who I wanted to be as an employer and business owner. There was a time when I had been renting a little suite during a tough time in my life and I was ready to relieve myself of the stress and pressure of that responsibility and just work for someone again. I found an amazing salon where I could do just that and it was just what I needed at that time in my life. Read more>>

Courtnye Gulley-Givens

As a person, I understand that happiness can be fleeting and must continuously be pursued. This logic applies to being a small business owner as well. Not everyday is a happy day, but after working a regular job for the majority of my life, I understand what my options are and the lifestyle of entrepreneurship has greatly impacted my quality of life, ultimately increasing my opportunities to create happiness. Read more>>

Kayli Head

I think there is a misconception that being a business owner equals freedom. In some ways, yes, I have some autonomy and control of my daily schedule, but it also comes with a lot of sacrifices. I primarily work in the wedding industry, which means next to no weekends off. If I can sneak in a Monday off, most of the rest of the world is back to work and needing things from us, so its hard to turn off your brain and really relax and set boundaries and take care of yourself. It also affects friendships and family time…you miss out on a lot of fun weekend things. Read more>>

LaTeisha Ray

Yes, I’m very happy with being a business owner. I love the freedom and versatility that comes with then profession. However, sometimes I do think about returning to corporate America. As a business owner sometimes things work slower than the norm. Patience and strategy is pivotal in this industry. At times I have thoughts to throw in the towel and call it quits. Then I remember how passionate I am about fashion and helping others feel confident. Read more>>

Meghan Reed

Way happier as a business owner! For the first time in my life, I feel like I have true freedom and can use my talents and gifts in a way that really serves and impacts others on many levels. Now let me say, there is much to be said about having a regular 9-5 salary job. And there was an exact reason why I stayed in corporate until I was mid-30’s. With a salary position, there can be a firm sense of control over your money, as you know what you will have coming in. Read more>>

Sydney Urban

I’m really stubborn and when I want something I will get it. Growing up I lived in a small town, with an extremely restrictive religion, and my parents worked a lot. Although the church I grew up in didn’t allow or endorse many behaviors, including musical instruments, dancing, sports, and really anything I considered to be fun. I really had a strong sense of independence at a young age and realized I did not want to stay where I was for the rest of my life, I wanted adventure, passion, and purpose. Read more>>

Rebecca Strickland

Absolutely! I have definitely had days where I thought to myself that things might be less stressful if I wasn’t a business owner. Those thoughts fade fast once I remember the pros of owning my own business. Some of those pros are having my own schedule and being in charge of hiring people that have the same work ethic as me. It also taught me that I can accomplish hard things. I believe in myself a little more with each day. Read more>>

Brandon Kunka

I think it’s natural for small business owners to think about the other side with a ‘grass is greener’ mentality at times. I get scared because I’m in charge of my own retirement, if I take vacation I lose pay, I have no prepaid benefits, etc., and that can be really overwhelming. It really comes down to freedom vs. security. I think my personality type would be bored in a regular job just because I prefer changing dynamics and not the same grind every day. Private teaching especially brings that to me because you have to handle every student differently. Read more>>

Cody Stallings

I absolutely love every minute of being a freelance business owner. It comes with it’s ups and downs but I can confidently say I wouldn’t trade in the work I do for some boring desk job. Although photography is my full time career, I think I can relate to other creatives when I say I still work a weekend serving job to have that extra bit of income to help fund my personal and professional life. That serving job is at a drag brunch venue so I’m thankful to have found a way to blend my career work with my “for fun” work. Read more>>

Ashley Koch

In any small business, there are always highs and lows. It has been challenging at times and I often wonder what it would be like to have a regular job. As a full-time wedding photographer, I have had to sacrifice time with my family and friends in order to keep things running smoothly. Yes, it would be great to have my weekends back and enjoy a meal with my husband without my phone blowing up. But I have to continuously remind myself that I am in the driver’s seat and it’s ok to say “no.” Read more>>

Christopher Carter

Being a business owner makes me happy. Of course, there are days when I wish things would move a little more quickly, but I also work a regular job. I appreciate my regular work as well since it forces me to think like a business owner. Yes, it reduces the time I spend working on my actual business and expanding it, but that’s the sacrifice I chose to make. I think that having a regular work gives me a way to keep the skills I need for my everyday tasks useful and sharp. These skills also come in handy when working on my personal brand, Artifaxx. Read more>>

Brad and Eliza Schweninger

I think Brad and I both agree that we are beyond happy to be business owners. It comes with its challenges and there’s been a lot we’ve had to figure out, and continue to figure out as we go, but it’s invigorating and has been such a great learning experience. We both constantly stop and think about just how lucky we are to get to do what we do. We’ve both worked your more traditional jobs (food & beverage, retail, office, etc) so we know how good we’ve got it. Read more>>

Chevonne Warren

I have always had a regular job. I was with a company for 6 and a half years, some Of those years as a business owner. When I took on being a business own full time many thoughts ran through my head but being the person I am I knew I could do anything I put my mind to. Being a business owner full time was the best thing that happened to me. It was like it was destined, I just needed that actual push from a horrible boss that got me where I am today. I love the growth and places it has taken me. Read more>>

Julia McCauley

I love being a business owner. When I first started cosmetology school, I thought I would work for myself by the time I was around thirty. Well here I am at twenty-two, running my own business, completely in charge of every decision I make. I do sometimes think “what if I had a regular job,” it’s hard not to. I have lots of clients that work from home, so they just bring their computers to their appointments and work while I do their hair. Read more>>

Shirley Bell-Wheeler

A regular job provides consistency and security in a way being a small business owner does not. Being a business owner provides autonomy and fulfillment in a way that a regular job never can. I am happy as a business owner, but sometimes I do miss the safety net of a regular job. I have never truly considered going backwards, but in my lowest moments I remember how much easier a regular job was at times. Read more>>

Chef Jay Pittman

I would say being a business owner isn’t easy, but has been the best decision I’ve made. Before I became I chef I was a network engineer for telecommunications companies for 12 years. The last time I thought about just going back to the regular corporate world was during Covid. Due to the world shutting down I was left wondering where does my catering business fit into this. 2020 was the year that made me see my actual worth and put faith into my talents and not someone else’s value of me from a paycheck. Read more>>

Marsha Guillory, PhD

Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment that I believe, begins with one’s mindset. With the influence of social media glamorizing celebrities, many people tend to think they have the dream life. When we realize our journey doesn’t parallel theirs, we may feel unhappy or idle in our own lives. We may even start to have negative thoughts. In my experience. as an entrepreneur I am happy because I am passionate & focused on my own journey of building a business & watching it grow. Read more>>

Candace Brooks

I am very happy to be a business owner, I have always prayed about owning my own business. When I was a teenager in high school, I thought about owning my own business. I just didn’t know what kind of business. Now that I am older, I’m 37 years old married with 2 kids I look at my little family and I see that yeah, I have to do more for them and for myself. In 2013 when I was pregnant with my oldest son, I was cooking up ingredients for hair growth and oils to help nourish the scalp that’s when it dawned on me that I can sell my hair products. Read more>>

Cassidy Bailey

Overall, I am happy being a business owner. I can make my own schedule, I have a lot of creative freedom, and I can experience a lot personal satisfaction/growth. However, I would be lying if I said I never considered going back to working in restaurants or perhaps something completely different. The time I considered quitting the most, I went two or three months with out a single order. I thought to myself; “I have worked so hard the past year or so trying to get my recipes down, develop four blends, and grow my social media/get the word out. What am I doing wrong? Am I just not good enough? Should I quit?”. Read more>>

Quindara Lazenbury

When I first started Laven Bodycare I was working full-time as a library media specialist and creating/selling products for LBC (Laven Bodycare.) This may sound a bit daunting, but at the time I was working from home due to the pandemic. The combination of being home, working and earning income from my own business felt great. Then I had to return to the office at the height of the pandemic and experienced a lot of related stress. I then resigned from my position and poured all of my focus into my business. Read more>>

Selena Garde

Thank you once again for the opportunity to be apart of Voyage. Being a business owner is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Working with an amazing team everyday is just part of what makes owning Red Dahlia a dream come true. Yes, being the owner/manager/guest services etc. means I never really have “a day off”. But, I can also hire and fire myself in the same afternoon. Read more>>

Chesley Thorn

I’d like to start by saying that I am thrilled to be a small business owner. I always thought that there was something out there for me to make my own, but I never knew exactly what that was. With that being said, being your own boss and running a business comes with its own highs and lows. As if running my business wasn’t enough, I am also a mother to an almost 5 year old, and I’m getting married in June of 2023. Read more>>

Bryce Hegge

Overall I am happy as a business owner since I do what I love and can manage the way in which I do it. Of course there are times when the idea of having a regular job seems like it’d have some benefits…more consistent schedule, stable income, having a team or coworkers., etc. Working independently can be lonely at times especially when an infusion of energy from coworkers seems appealing. Having a schedule that keeps you busy when most others are ready to relax and has you relaxing when others are busy working can also be tough at times. But in the end, the perks of what I do and how I can do it far outweigh any cons. Read more>>

Brandon Mills

While I am happy as a business owner, I truly do find it difficult to be self employed. Now running a Enterprises of multiple companies with few employees, an some volunteers is hard to manage. Thankfully I have a Human Resources/Email Manager now to help me run my now active almost conglomerate. Two rules I learned from business management is always make sure the customer is the number #1 priority, & if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Read more>>

Joe Wooster

Absolutely! I’ve been self employed my entire adult life. Having a stable paycheck with benefits and retirement would be great but the freedoms self employment bring can’t be beat. Read more>>

Kristine Vila

I would say yes, mainly because of the freedom I have to make my own schedule and put my family first. Of course my business is super important to me and helps me be able to provide however, I wanted to make my career give me freedom to be able to take care of my little girls (2 and 3 at the moment) and watch them grow. My dream was to be able to stay home with my girls and watch them hit their milestones. It brings me so much joy! Read more>>

Jacey Gillette

That question is deep… coming up on 2 years in March of Covid madness I’d say almost everyday I think about how life sounds like it would be easier or hold some normality with a good ol 9 to 5, Some paid time off, maybe some insurance or being able to call out sick. Or maybe able to work at home and life didn’t get disturbed by the pandemic roller coaster. Being a Hair stylist doesn’t come easy and it’s not as glorious as it sounds. But they don’t tell you that before you take the year long dramatic plunge into Beauty School. Now I wouldn’t change my profession for the life of me, but I do think about how life would be if I took a different Path. Read more>>

Sal Mozzarella

To say I am happy as a business is owner is almost kind of a trick question, being a business owner has so many ups and downs that I do think about what it would be like if I had a normal 9 to 5 job and not have to worry about so many different things after you clock out. When you are working for someone or some company you can schedule or plan a vacation or time off and go on your vacation as planned and not worry about work, but as a business owner especially in the catering/party and events industry I can’t tell you how many vacations I had to cancel and how many holidays I missed or just never getting to stay home on the weekend and do nothing because of some work related issue. Read more>>

Naima Starr

I’ve always known I would never be one to settle with a “regular” job, for me money isn’t the only ultimate goal. I do things that make me happy and if it doesn’t make me happy I drop it. Fashion has always made me happy, expressing myself through clothing has always been something I subconsciously did. I never think what it would be like to have a regular job because it was never something I dreamed of doing or having. I’m blessed to have the vision and drive that I do and I l know it will take me far as long as I stay focused. Read more>>

Shakira Mckenzie

I have this thought more often than I would like to admit. When I first made the decision to start a business, I naturally felt I could do it. Over confident even. A close friend, AG, really convinced me to move forward with it. So I start, do all my research, set up my site and just knew the money would roll in. Nope! Not even close! Everyday is a push. You will go days, even weeks without a sale and you start to think, is this really for me? My situation is a little different. I still have a full time regular job. Read more>>

Lyndsay Bahn

Being a business owner ensures that a high level of intelligence, freedom, innovation and creativity can thrive. As my own boss, I hold myself accountable to all actions and responsibilities, successes and failures; and knowing how powerful, productive, experienced and innovative as I am, it would be a waste of my valuable time and energy to put the type of love and passion and creativity I have to offer into someone else’s business. Read more>>

Massie Twins

I couldn’t be happier as a business owner! In fact, I oftentimes have recurring dreams (or nightmares, really) about going back to work at a 9-to-5 job (usually working at a grocery store, which was my first minimum-wage-paying employment). During those spells, I’m constantly wondering why I don’t just quit; why am I there, stocking shelves, instead of working for myself at my own business? Read more>>

Sunnetta Coleman

I love being my own boss, but I would be telling a tale if I said it wasn’t stressful. Everything from decisions, marketing, and strategies fall on you. I’m such an indecisive person where I often second, third, and even fourth guess my decisions. I think it would be so much easier just to work for a corporation where all the decisions are made for you and you just have to worry about execution and doing your job efficiently. I envy the fact that there is a constant paycheck with benefits. SECURITY! STABILITY! If you’re really dedicated you can scale up and promote faster. Read more>>