What even is a “regular” job? Semantics aside, the heart of our question is about those moments when the stress of entrepreneurship is mounting – do you ever sit back and wonder what if you had just been working for someone else, what life would have been like without all the stress?

Nisha Mody

I left my 9-5 job in July 2021 to become a full time life coach. For my whole adulthood, I had security with jobs and benefits, and now I was taking the leap. I can say that I am much happier as a business owner. However, I did have some hesitation given that I am single, had to build up clientele, and there was no certainty with what I was doing. If I stayed at my job just 8 more months, I would also have been vested in the pension and I would have been able to save more money for the uncertainty ahead of me.Read more>>

Natalia Ronceria Ceballos

I think of this often in truth, as I work with other small business owners and nonprofit organizations in all the work I do, and one of my first questions is always “what is your definition of success?”. If we are not clear with ourselves on what success means to us, then it can be hard to figure out which makes more sense for you, having a job or doing your own thing. In addition, without clarity here, it is easy to jump into a job or business idea thinking it will be a great fit, but then when things start to get hard, that initial drive can disappear super quickly. Read more>>

Freddy Maier

I’m extremely happy as a self-employed business owner. Amongst other things, I thoroughly enjoy the ability to make my own schedule, work from home, and travel freely. Sometimes I do think about what it would be like to have a regular job. While owning your own business comes with a lot more freedom, it also comes with a lot more responsibilities. As a sole proprietor of my own business I am the manager, accountant, marketer, and decision maker for my business… Read more>>

Julie Saint-Fleur

I truly believe my happiness lies in me being a business owner. Even when I’m faced with a 20-hour work day I try my best to remain optimistic. All business owners can attest to those long days. When it seems as if there is always another task waiting to be completed. In that moment the idea of simply having an 8-hour shift can creep into the back of my mind then I’m reminded why I do what I do. Survivors Only, a swimsuit line designed for women to feel fierce and secure was created to give plus-size women such as myself a safe place to shop. It’s easy to lose sight of that when I am knee-deep in orders and do not see an ending on the horizon. Read more>>

Rodrigo Tasca

From time to time, I think about how different my life would be if I had a regular job. Being a business owner can be stressful and at the end of the day every success and setback falls onto my shoulders. A couple months ago, I was feeling extremely burnt-out. I was traveling for work, had back-to-back shoots, and 2 editors ghosted me in the middle of projects with upcoming deadlines. Despite that not being in my control, it was up to me to edit those projects and produce the quality of work my clients were expecting. The most valuable lesson I ever learned was to “not make my problem, my clients problem” and as the business owner, it’s my responsibility to see things through. Read more>>

Natalia Leigh

I’m one of those people who really struggles to work under a boss. I got my first job when I was sixteen, and I knew immediately that I didn’t function well under an authority figure. I’m also an introvert and excel at solo work, so being asked (or required) to work in a team was incredibly difficult for me. Throughout my young life, I gravitated toward jobs that allowed me to work independently (and often with animals). This continued into my early twenties, and upon graduating from college, Read more>>

Marykate Stallings

I am happier as a business owner than working for someone else. I think I would feel more trapped working for someone else, without the flexibility to take off the days I want. I also do not like people telling me when I’ve done something incorrectly, or how to do something in general, or what the rules are I definitely have a little problem with authority and respecting rules. And I love having the freedom to take on as little or as much work as I’d like. As long as I save up money and bring a laptop to work remotely there’s nothing stopping me from going on a month long trip at any point and that’s pretty awesome! Read more>>

Kati Hewitt

I truly enjoy being a small business owner despite the inevitable rollercoaster ride that comes along with it! I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a more traditional job, but I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to be able to create my own schedule, have complete autonomy over my systems and processes, etc. Overall as a creative, I’m actually happier juggling many different roles because it keeps my job feeling dynamic and exciting. I have a new set of tasks everyday, can work in any location, make my own hours, and scale my business however is needed depending on my season of life and my sales goals. Read more>>

Dr. Jennifer Heyward Champagne

I am extremely happy as a business owner. I just celebrated 18 years as an entrepreneur. But there are times when I’m overly exhausted with the day to day running of 5 businesses. I received my DBA in Business and decided to become an online professor. I felt I needed a change in business scenary. Being an entrepreneur and having a steady flowing of clients can be hard. I pretty much do all the logistics and strategies for my business. I take on so much energy that I sometimes need a recharge for myself. Read more>>