Owning your own business provides a livelihood, financial security and the opportunity to increase your knowledge as well as meet people outside of your regular sphere. But many business owners don’t take into consideration the face that it should also be enjoyable. Running a business was a choice you made and part of that choice should have revolved around how much better you knew you would feel by owning your own business rather than working in someone else’s business.
Shortly after starting your business, you realize the feeling of freedom that has come over you. With all of the responsibilities business ownership entails, it’s still done mostly on your terms. You decide when to start every day (or night), the dress code is all yours, and more than anything else, the ideas are all yours, completely yours.
You have hit upon the only complete way to be happy at what you do. Creating is a major part of business ownership and having the ability to take your ideas and then morph them into something completely new and different never feels like work. Entrepreneurs realize that the best type of competition is with themselves, not others and they constantly try to dream up a bigger and better idea than the last successful idea.
Every minute of every workday can involve activities that you enjoy. If there’s certain parts of your business that you find you avoid, either hire a virtual assistant or fix the ways these activities are done. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. As long as you complete the necessary tasks and your business is moving forward, do it your way.
Many new business owners love the idea of creating their own “corporate culture”. They define the best environment for themselves, one that results in excellence. They learn that yes, they really can be a leader instead of a follower and the resulting confidence pushes them to go further.
As a business owner, there is no such thing as climbing a ladder and only going so far. The sky is the limit and it’s up to you. It’s much like being a child again, where your imagination pays off big time. You aren’t concerned or kept back by the social values of others, except where it pertains to good business practises. Your ideas can result in innovative products that are needed by your customers and you choose who to work with or not work with.
Running your own business will be one of the most challenging and also the healthiest things you ever do. Flexibility results in a more tranquil way of life and gives business owners the space to branch out and make a difference in their community through their original ideas. Don’t forget that when you made the choice to run your own business you also made a choice to enjoy it.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015
image courtesy of abd
