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?

Stacy Read

Being a business owner can be cyclical in terms of amount of work any given week, unexpected stressors that only you can handle, and just not getting a break sometimes. In these moments, I have learned to do what helps me the best to adapt and function without too much personal turmoil. My family is priority #1, and always will be. This is a large part of the reason that being my own boss was so important to me. When my son has a presentation on a weekday at 10am, I can attend. Read more>>

Mimmi Louise

I absolutely love owning my own business. I love to create each of my products, and seeing them in people’s homes. I also love being my own boss, having the freedom to make my own schedule, and actually getting paid for the more I work. From time to time I do miss being an employee at a stable company because of the security. Being an entrepreneur and business owner is a constant stress to make money. Read more>>

Rachelle Domingo-Rogers

When I first started my business, I think I felt like this every other day. “I miss working under someone”…The toll that we have to take on as business owners in this industry is we are the ones responsible for EVERYTHING! We’re responsible for when things go sideways on projects even when things are out of our control (governing agencies, consultants, GCs), we’re responsible for project timelines at every phase, we’re responsible for our team, – We’re responsible for everything that comes and goes in and out of our doors. As an architect / designer of a project, we wear many hats, and we are the main umbrella of most all projects depending on its structure. Read more>>

Anais Gornail

I am 1000% happier as a business owner. I get to wake up every day and do what I absolutely love. I get to wake up everyday and decide what I’m going to do and work toward MY dreams and my goals. I never think about what it would be like to have a regular job because I’ve been there and done that and won’t be going back. I really think the last time I thought about that was in 2018 when I was deciding what life would look like once I quit my 9-5 job. Read more>>

Brianna Woods

Being a business owner is a love hate relationship, especially when you originally start off as a creative and choose to monetize your passion later down the line. Do I ever wonder what it would be like to have a normal job again? I don’t think there’s any mystery there..so I would say no. I think the things you end up really wanting are to detach from perfectionism gained from wanting a dream to succeed & constantly making yourself available whether through social media or verbal/physical interactions. These things are the “business” side of an operation and draw your attention away from pure inspiration and passion, in my opinion. Read more>>

JANUARY CURRY

Being a female, of color in a male dominated industry can be challenging. I started my journey in Casting as an assistant to a very well-known male Casting Director. Learned an abundance of vital info, made lifelong connections and ultimately found my passion and purpose. My decision to start my own casting company did not come easy but it definitely felt like it was my newfound purpose. Read more>>

Mekahaliah Brown

Ever since I was 15, I started working regular 9-5 jobs while balancing school as well. I honestly was not very happy with my jobs even after graduating high school and going onto college. Even in college, I was lost and felt that I would be stuck working the same job and graduating in a major I really had no use or desire for. I decided to drop out of school and even then I was still working jobs that did not fulfill me. I was still very undecided as to what I wanted to do. Read more>>

Kiana Taylor.

Wow, That is a really good question. I actually quit my last job the end of 2021, in a truly uncertain time. I worked the luxury retail industry and was all too familiar with working long hours, holidays and weekends with little control over my time. Holidays were the worst. My family lives in Memphis, TN. Whenever I would want to go visit, they would only be able to give me a day or two to go and it just wouldn’t work. I lost alot of family time over that and it caused me alot of emotional distress. Read more>>

Mackenzie Belcastro

I am definitely happier as a business owner. I fell asleep last night thinking of all the different projects I’ve been able to pursue since carving my own path and felt so fulfilled by that, as well as by the enormous amount of freedom that being my own boss permits me. And freedom is my highest value. So, yes, I am absolutely happier as a business owner. However, of course, there are times when things are hard where I’ve thought, “Man, what would it have been like if I’d taken a path… well, more traveled?” Read more>>

Dave Stencil

I honestly cant remember a time when i went to work at 9, came home at 5, and then just did anything that’s not work. I started with side hustles when still in college, worked 2 jobs after college, and started my path as a woodworker while working full time for a nursing home. At this point, its completely foreign to me to think of friends that get home from work, and then just.. don’t do work. That’s insane, what do you do with all that free time?? Read more>>

Xitlali Adame

After college I had to work as a Spanish English Interpreter which gave me the flexibility to work on my creative outlets. It wasnt easy managing it all as an independent contractor. Read more>>

Delendra Peterson

I am happier as a business owner. Yet sometimes, I do wish I had a regular job. As the youngest of 4 children and the only girl, I look at my brothers’ lives and I get disappointed in myself. They are all very successful. I am carrying the load of 3 different businesses; which are doing well, but their success does not compete with the successes of my brothers. Growing up, everyone had high hopes for me, because I am extremely smart, talented and creative. Decisions in my life caused me to fall behind and start over several times. Recently, when I was sitting at home after working all day in the carrying-out restaurant, Mmm, The Kitchen, that my children and I have together, I started crying, because I had no one that could help me complete the work I needed to for my streaming TV network and for my agency company. Read more>>