The true meaning behind being an entrepreneur doesn’t get nearly enough attention! But if you’re looking for the standard definition of an entrepreneur, you’re in the wrong place. Why? Because you can find that in an online dictionary.
What I want to talk about is the real-life side of being an entrepreneur.
Like the real-life issues that entrepreneurs live every single day.
Such as…
1: The Late Nights
Even the best, most successful entrepreneurs have late nights.
As great as I’ve gotten at giving myself space to end work early and take care of myself, I sometimes end up working late. Some entrepreneurs even wear it as a badge of honor on their chest: “I worked five 16 hour days this week just to keep things going.” And while you can decide for yourself whether or not that is healthy, I decided it wasn’t healthy to be doing that all of the time. So I created space to prevent that happening all of the time.
But ultimately, I still work some late nights because late nights are just a part of being an entrepreneur.
2: Pay Cuts
Most entrepreneurs often take pay cuts.
And while it’s not a requirement, it does often happen. Because entrepreneurs are willing to do whatever it takes to keep things going. That often means taking some form of pay cut to ensure that employees get their full paycheck or that bills get taken care of. And the best entrepreneurs know when and where to take pay cuts to keep things going.
3: Debilitating Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD
This one doesn’t happen all of the time, but it’s a combination I’ve noticed in most entrepreneurs. (And occasionally, bipolarism is thrown in the mix)
Granted, you’d never think that from looking at entrepreneurs. We’re high-functioning crazy people, which is often why we became entrepreneurs. Why do I say that? Because we see the things that are wrong with the world and we’re just crazy enough to try and fix it…
Ultimately, being an entrepreneur means that you are creating the opportunities to change the world for the better.
There’s some really great parts of being an entrepreneur! Like...
Making a Difference
One of the really cool things about entrepreneurs is that they have the opportunity to make a ripple-effect difference in the lives of those around us.
Something I see on the regular with entrepreneurs is that they are constantly raising the standard in their industries which means they’re changing the lives of their customers. Additionally, entrepreneurs change the lives of their employees because entrepreneurs are the kinds of people who care about their people. They care about getting their business the attention it needs in order to reach the people who need them and support the people who work for them.
They give 110% all the time, because they know they are making a change in people’s lives.