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?

Daris Gibbons

After many years of producing events in my rural Arizona community, I came up with the idea of building an event space that filled the gaps left by available locations. I always had trouble finding a large enough area that didn’t cost an arm and a leg, had things like catering kitchens, and the ability to serve alcohol without having to obtain a Special Event Liquor License. Most locations had multiple hoops to jump through to host an event. Cities and towns had multi-level and multi-departmental paperwork that needed to be filed, along with detailed requirements that had to be met before approval was granted. Read more>>

Katia Munoz

After two years of hustling here and there, in November I was ready to give up my business completely and look for something that could simply bring in money. After losing my financial independence for a while, I was desperate and willing to take almost anything. Read more>>

Rachel Watson

There are definitely ups and downs to owning a business. I can’t imagine not doing what I do, but sometimes I wonder what Plan B would even look like. Especially during wedding season, when Saturdays are gone for months and I miss out on a lot…my kids’ sports, family events, things that people with weekends off don’t even think twice about. Unless I plan something 8 months in advance, I’m usually booked. Read more>>

Teri Clar

I am extremely happy as a business owner. It has been such a luxury to me and my family to be able to work for myself and be flexible with my time. There have been a few times where I wonder, wild t it be nice to have a regular job with a salary, something you can shut down at 5 and go home and forget. When I had my first son I actually thought about this a lot. Life felt so chaotic with a baby, and it almost felt easier to have one work life, and then one home life where you can appreciate both better while you’re doing it. By now, that I have 2 children I’m realizing how nice it is to not have to ask for time off, to be able to drop off at school, and to rock my newborn to sleep when he dries, knowing I can always finish up my designs during g the next nap, or at bedtime. Read more>>

Alesha Christensen

Working a 9-to-5 and building someone else’s dream never sat well with me. I’ve always known I was capable of more—not just of doing great work, but of creating something bigger than myself. I’m the kind of person who sees inefficiencies and instinctively knows how to build systems that make things smoother, better, and more impactful. So why would I keep pouring that energy into someone else’s vision when I could pour it into my own? Read more>>

Maureen Brown

There was a time when being a special education advocate meant helping families navigate a system that—while imperfect—was at least trying to do the right thing. But lately, it’s become harder to stay excited, inspired, and hopeful.

With increasing government cuts to special education programs, essential services are being slashed, staff are stretched thin, and children who rely on support are left waiting—waiting for evaluations, waiting for help, waiting to be seen. These are not delays—they are denials. And each one chips away at the progress we’ve fought so hard for. Read more>>