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?

Tim & Brianna Kleinmeier

​Long story short, we both LOVE being business owners! Now for the longer story told from Brianna. I can recall a time in both high school and college I said “I could never be an entrepreneur”. The thought was a little terrifying at the time. Why? Because I started working at a very young age; for someone. Which turned into job after job, and I never saw a life outside of working with a group of people all focused on the same end goal. I didn’t really have a passion that I saw growing into a business either. Read more>>

angelika pagan

I had a “regular job’ most of my life working in the restaurant industry. It taught me a lot and its where I learned how to work under pressure at a fast pace. I don’t miss it one bit tho haha, I love the flexibility of making my own schedule and being the person my clients can come to. it does get stressful and is super lonely at times, but its all worth it. Read more>>

Lynn Kile

While I actually never had any intentions of doing so, I am very happy being a business owner. It is unquestionably hard work. When you work for yourself (and work from home!), it’s easy to blur the lines between personal and business time. It’s easy to find yourself answering an email at the dinner table with family, replying to a text at a concert, or lying in bed creating new content for your socials at midnight. It’s also easy to feel guilt when you are out doing personal things, and letting your business be on the back burner for a few hours. Read more>>

Sharita Mullen

I would definitely say I am happier as a business owner. Being a business owner gives me a rewarding life, happiness, and purpose. The creativity that I’m able to express in my daily life an owner is incomparable to the restrictions that the 9-5 gave me. I’ve always had a larger than life imagination, most of my days consist of daydreaming & reinventing. I do appreciate working the regular jobs though, I learned the structure of a business and how to run one. Most importantly, I learned customer service. Read more>>

Elizabeth Baltazar

I’ve always been drawn to careers where you’re allowed to “paint your own picture.” For some time, I was tied to schedules and desks and although I learned a lot and enjoyed what I did for the most part, it didn’t feel authentic to who I was. Growing up, my parents worked a lot. I always wished they could be at every play, sporting event, drop off lunch or my homework when I forgot it at home; but that wasn’t my childhood. They were hard workers, dedicated to their careers. They were amazing providers and gave me a beautiful home and work ethic, something I’m grateful for; but wished to express differently to my children. Read more>>

Casandra Pastrana

I am extremely happy as a business owner! I get to wake up every morning and do what I love. That does not mean it is easy. Having your own business means everything lands on you from booking clients, coming up with workouts, processing payments, advertising your services in a creative way and finding clientele that stands for what I’ve built which is women empowering other women! Read more>>

Emma McClendon

I do think about what it would be like to have a regular job often. Being a business owner is hard (especially when you have 4), harder than I think people realize it is. Having a regular job can be just as difficult but there’s somethings that people will never know or experience unless they’re a business owner. When you have a list of things that need to be done and there’s no end in sight and it’s 3am and you’re still working on the same list. That’s when I wonder if any of it is worth it. Read more>>

Joseph Steinmetz

I recently had to do a lot of thinking about this exact thing. I was recently approached by a much bigger company about a merger where i would take over a whole division of there business. After a lot of thought and a few sleepless nights, I came to the realization that the typical work environment is not for me. While steady pay and consistency sounds amazing, I am too set in my ways of running a business that I don’t think I could change now. I really appreciate the freedom i have gained while working for myself. Read more>>

Brooke Rosenblum

I feel so grateful and acknowledge the privilege I have to be a successful business owner often. When I reflect on the experience I gained over all the years leading up to me becoming an entrepreneur full time, I do not regret any of it, but I also would never want to go back to it. Although I work every single day, I am working towards my own dreams instead of providing my time, energy, and unique abilities to someone else’s dream. My soul would honestly feel very crushed if I ever had to let go of my business against my own will and return to working for another company. My business is my pride and joy! Read more>>

Caylee McFarland

The short answer is yes, I am happier as a business owner. Of course there are days when you think, “Dang I wish I just had a job that I could clock in and out of,” but the reality is I’m not wired for that. I love being able to build my own schedule, work around the clock, and quite honestly I love the chaos. Being a small business owner is madness. There is so much you have to do all the time from little things like stamping pastry bags to big things like completing wholesale orders, but each piece is so important and is fun in its unique way. Read more>>

Kristen Locke

I have been a small business owner for over 8 years now! Prior to owning my own catering biz, I was a cocktail waitress, a bartender, hostess, captain in fine dining, a line cook, a Sous Chef, an expeditor, a General Manager, Catering Manager, then the Director of Catering, and finally Owner, Personal Chef and Caterer. Holding each one of those positions in restaurants and catering companies the hours could be quite long and sometimes very stressful., and with extraordinarily hot working conditions in the kitchen (especially in the crazy Texas summers). I was mostly working late nights, sometimes over night, and every weekend as well as every major holiday the restaurants were open. Read more>>

Tavia Bosley

I absolutely love being a business owner. Being able to do the things I genuinely enjoy on my own time is top tier. I started my business the summer of 2017 which is the same year I graduated college and got a job in the career field I studied. My 9a-5p helped me gain customer service skills I was able to apply to my business. In addition to customer service skills my regular job aided me with money I put into my business. I am very grateful for my past career. In hindsight it was necessary and molded me into a successful entrepreneur. For anyone who maybe teetering with the idea of starting a business and letting go of their regular job should use their current career to their advantage. Do not rush the decision. Build your business and once your ready take that leap! Read more>>

Luke Klaer

love building businesses. It is something I have been in the mix with since I was 20 years old. I was a part of a Vape, that had tremendous success and was fortunate to be heavily involved with from just about the beginning and for several years. I later branched out and started another Vape Juice Company that did pretty well for some time there. I have helped several CBD companies over the years. A lot of the reasons why I chose Industrial Engineering for my degree is it’s all about efficiency and how to execute in a more effective way in every facet of the business. Read more>>

Chase Jacoway

I actually don’t think I could be happier. I mean this is just one source of revenue for me. It’s more of a passion project. I’ve been making surfboards since I was 14 so I’ve had almost ten years to come to terms with the fact I didn’t really want to rely on this as my sole income. I felt like if my living depended on my craft then the amount of passion, time, and soul that I pour into each board would vastly diminish. I’m constantly trying to experiment with new design theories or improve upon previous designs, so if I were forced to be meeting a quota to scrape by each month I’d be so burnt out and my mental health and enthusiasm for the craft would probably disappear. Read more>>

Lindsay Lobb

The other morning, I was walking my dog and passed an office where employees were all showing up and walking in together. It brought me back to the days when I worked a “9-5” job. A lot of thoughts and feelings went through my head at once. Some of those thoughts were things like “I sometimes miss that feeling of shared experiences with a whole office” and “I remember the days where I could actually leave my work at work.” Which is all true. There are moments where I miss having a “regular job” where I focused on it for 8 hours a day, made some work friends, and then had nights and weekends to spend as I liked. Read more>>

D.Necehelle Pascol

Yes,I am happier as a business owner because of the freedom and flexibility I have to just live my life on my own terms. I have worked regular jobs prior to becoming a business owner and for the first few years as a business owner , until recently so I know what its like to have a regular job even while operating my business. What I learn and earn from my 9 to 5, I take it and apply it to my business. Its usually during our down season at The Diamond In the Rough Dance and Wellness Academy, when clientele is scarce, I get anxious and start applying for jobs. Read more>>