When times are good it’s easy to feel like entrepreneurship is the only path for you, but what about the times when your hit with multiple crises at once? We wondered if all entrepreneurs have moments when they wonder whether they should have gone with (or stuck to) a more standard job where they worked for someone else.

Joshua Frank

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a business owner. Unlike most people, I have only worked as an employee for one company. I was a dishwasher for a local senior living community where I scrubbed dishes – pots, pans, cookware, dining utensils, plates, glasses, you get the picture – for hours every day after school. And I can tell you; I’m much happier being a business owner. I decided early on that I wanted to pave my own way through the world and not have to depend on an employer. I decided I wanted complete control over my life. Read more>>

Rober Mills.

Yes, it is challenging running a business. As I expand my services, I require more help from my friends, my network. Very soon I hope to bring in full-time employees. Even the prospect of employing folks in the community feels rewarding. I have no degree in business, I barely graduated high school, everything I do is trial-and-error fueled by my own independent research. There have been times that I was not certain I would make the monthly bills, I stayed the course, trusted the plan, and paid the bills. Read more>>

Lativia Henderson

As a business owner, I am very happy! I’ve been in business 6 years now with 3 of those years working for myself full time. I will say its been very rewarding for many reasons. One reason being a mother, my time is flexible. I get to set my daily work schedule around my children’s schedule and that’s very convenient for me. I get to attend school activities, sports functions, and be available for doctor’s appointments. I work while they’re in school and I’m home after school to help with homework, cook,clean, and get them ready for the next day. Read more>>

Alexander Aperture

I am definitely happy to be a business owner. I’ve worked countless jobs throughout my career and even though I love what I do I have straddled the thought of what it would feel like to have a regular job again. I imagine I’d get a regular job and quit half way through the shift. LOL The best thing about being a business owner is being able to make your own schedule and come & go as you please. Read more>>

Neda Kellogg

I am an ecstatic business owner. Do I ever sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job – NEVER! The last time I had this thought was when I received a meme from our Marketing and Branding director, Keeya Allen. The meme said “Trying to explain my schedule to people with normal working hours”. Read more>>

Renee Powers

The journey of a business owner isn’t linear and it certainly isn’t easy. There are definitely days that I wonder what it would be like to clock into a job, put in my 8 hours, and go home to relax. But I know I would be miserable in the mundanity, despite the consistency of a regular job. I crave change and thrive in creative problem solving. Read more>>

Charli Oquendo

I almost quit my business this past summer of 2022. I pondered on that thought a lot, “What would it be like to go back to a 9-5?” Owning a business is not for the faint of heart. It takes grit, dedication, and consistency. Motivation isn’t going to help you, because there will be many days you have to show up without an ounce of motivation. The thing that kept me going and brought me back was my why. Read more>>

Brandy Ashley

Am I happier as a business owner? The short answer is yes. The more complex and transparent answer is about 85% of the time. I spent most of my late teens and early adult life living paycheck to paycheck, working endless hours to make sure that all of my responsibilities were taken care of and lived in constant fear of failure. I grew up in a small town in WV where this was the norm for everyone, you just figure out how to survive which ultimately is how my entrepreneurial mindset was born. Read more>>

Alicia Shumaker

I think every entrepreneur thinks about this from time to time! There’s a running joke around the business owner world: I became a business owner so instead of working 8 hours a day, I could work 24 hours a day. These ideas seem to surface, at least for me, in a deep stage of growth. When things feel mountainous and overwhelming – as something big is being built or a big change is rolling through. Read more>>

Nadia Slominski

I absolutely love what I do and am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to run this business. Prior to starting Healthy Glow, I had managed a doggie daycare, where I often worked 12-hour days, including weekends and holidays. So, I suppose you could say that I have never really gone the conventional route of having a “normal” job, even before starting this business. There are times, of course, where I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be able to go into an office, Read more>>

Joshua Wheaton

Yes, I am very happy as business owner. I rarely seriously think about what it would be like to have a regular job because I can remember it enough very well and I see enough people doing what I personally couldn’t do anymore. The last time I seriously thought about it was a low moment in my business and in my mental state. I feel like this will happen with anyone who is new in entreprenurship or business. The challenges that can be faced aren’t anything you’ve ever been through before. Read more>>

Amber Saunders

I am definitely a happy business owner. However, I still think about what it would be like to have a job every single day. The thought comes when I feel like I have decision fatigue and just don’t feel like being the one person everyone has to come to for answers. On any given day, my phone rings at least 50 times per day (either my cell or office line). It is extremely difficult to get work done if I am answering the phone all day. Read more>>

Taylor Wessel

Being a business owner presents a LOT of challenges (from integrating your website with other platforms to pricing services and marketing to the right audiences) but it’s yours. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Truth be told, the entrepreneurial world is not for everyone…but I absolutely love it (challenges and all)! By the time I launched Taylored Health in 2020, I had done the “regular job” thing (at a wellness start-up) for 6 years. And it had major perks which included: stability in hours, income and time commitment; regular lunch breaks; and weekends off BUT it lacked flexibility; there was a monetary cap; and creativity was limited by someone else’s vision. Read more>>

Omarie Sotomayor / Kelly Vallejo

The answer is definitely yes, since this has allowed us to be mothers present at each stage of our children’s lives. In the past we were employees, and in fact we also spent some time working together outside of Creaciones Entorno, so we already know what it’s like to have a normal job. Both scenarios have their pro and its cons and yes, sometimes a normal job has crossed our minds when the difficult times of the business arrive, but we sit down, take our time, reflect and change strategies so that the business can continue running and without stopping working even when there is no motivation or desire. Read more>>

Jillian Adams

I think that there are as many different versions of success and happiness as there are people. I was happy in the job I had prior to going into photography full time. In fact, it was one of the happiest chapters of my life. Sometimes I wonder if I had done the “right thing” by leaving and pursuing my own business, but I never seem to be able to conclude what that “right thing” really is. I love what I do and working for myself rarely ever seems like a burden or chore. Read more>>

Emily Eldh.

The other day I heard someone say “never start a business based off of your passion”. I really couldn’t believe this was a real statement and I felt like I needed more context. When I started my business in the mid-pandemic Winter of 2021, the light that got me through it was taking my life passion and turning it into a business – a feat I had never thought I would do. The only reason The Muffin Drop came to be was because of this passion. I’d been living vegan and gluten-free since high school in order to combat the turbulent storms of Autoimmune disease I’d developed at 16 years old. Read more>>

Amber Starr.

I’m overall happy being a business owner, I have my days where I become frustrated & tell myself I’m going to get a job, out of anger.. being a business owner isn’t for the weak, it’s easier to go out here & work for someone else, however there are cons to that as well. Being your own boss is having your own freedom to do the things you want to do & to create memories that will last a lifetime, the same way you can put long hours into working for another company, making products for them, you can do for yourself. Read more>>

Jamie Smith

If you do something you love it doesn’t seem like a job, but more of a passion. That was my initial thoughts as becoming a new business owner. I am now 4.5 years into owing my first company and realize that staying aligned with your true calling is imperative to maintain success and to sustain your company. However, it comes with its own set of obstacles and challenges that makes you often second guess if it’s worth the sacrifice of your sanity. Read more>>