The 3 best things about being an entrepreneur
By: Phil Patterson
Tags: Startup Life, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Dreams

OK, I think it is important to get this out of the way first. It’s a tough gig.

Not quite as tough as coal mining, nor as worrying as sweeping for landmines. It is extremely tough, though.

Why?

Because the buck stops with you. You are your own boss and enjoy all the responsibility that comes along with that. It’s not like being a FTSE 100 boss, where delegation is your key skill, nay, you are a jack of all trades who remit is simply getting sh*t done.

You can’t afford to have a bad day, or a duvet day…as that means that stuff is slipping. There is an opportunity cost associated with your box set Sopranos binge, unfortunately. Those days when you feel a little low, or a little demotivated, can’t really happen anymore. You have to pick yourself up and get on with things, or tomorrow will be worse.

The security, comfort and planning capability that a regular fixed paycheque affords is not a luxury you enjoy. You are quite likely to be nervously checking the accounts at month-end, and doing mental sums concerning Christmas presents and creditors.

That’s OK, though. You have taken a risk, rolled up the sleeves and put in the hours. And, in the long term, you are likely to get your reward. It’s the deal you have made with yourself.

Now, when “long term” actually is, is anyone’s guess. It’s generally longer than you think by a factor of at least 2.

So, you have to enjoy the journey you are on or it will swallow you up.

From personal experience, here are my favourite things about being an entrepreneur:

I don’t set an alarm

Ahhhhhhhhh how nice this one is. I shiver to think of the many years I spent being summoned by that infernal racket. Dragged from my peaceful slumber by some shrill, pealing nonsense that my iPhone has decided upon.

Gone are the worries when you wake up at 3 am. The internal monologue saying “Right, I better sleep as hard as I possibly can now. 4 hours until the alarm”. We all know that never works, the body goes into a state of heightened anxiety and rejects such monologues like a dud kidney.

I’m not saying it makes much difference, mind you. I still wake around the same hour every day. It’s just that I do it under my own terms — and that makes a huge psychological difference to my wellbeing.

Maybe I have a bad night sleep on occasion, or maybe I get to bed late. That’s OK, though. I sleep until I am ready to wake up — safe in the knowledge that I can work later in the evening to compensate. All is well.

The Freedom

Ah, the rat race. A friend of mine once questioned, “who wins?”. I was never able to answer that one. Seemingly no one. Everyone confined to offices at prescribed hours, watching life pass by. Not for me.

The freedom of being an entrepreneur is wonderful. I am a feeling a little low, off I go to the beach for a long walk. Fresh air does marvellous things to the body. If I have a pressing family commitment, I will give it the priority it deserves without having to explain myself to a frowning boss.

It’s nice to be able to enjoy life as you like it, on your terms. Again, this freedom comes at a cost; switching off for the weekend or in the evenings isn’t really a thing…but it’s a price I’ll pay.

The Hope

You know when you are a kid, and have dreams? Or develop a mental bucket list whilst at Uni?

Well, in essence, that is what the entrepreneurial dream is about. Chasing down those old dreams and doing something special with your life. Whether that is ticking things off a bucket list, a certain way of living or fulfilling certain materialistic desires, this is what makes you tick.

And being an entrepreneur offers that hope. You just never know what’s around the corner. Tales of success inspire you to keep reaching for more.

In a steady job, the same hope just isn’t there. Any accountant could piece together a 40-year cash flow of your working life, with salary increments here and there and certain expenditures. They can compute your pension too.

That rather removes hope, doesn’t it?

That certainty of knowing what you will have. For me, the pursuit of the unknown, the limitless bounds of ambition offer hope in the entrepreneurial journey.

There are my three favourite things — what are yours?

Everyone is different. The entrepreneurial dream for one person might be the nightmare of uncertainty for another. Find the favourite parts on your journey, though, and you will enjoy it.