We ran across a short article a week or so ago called “7 Signs You’re Not Entrepreneur Material.” If you’re thinking of starting a business, stop what you’re doing and read it.
A lot of people have a glamorous idea of what starting and running a business is all about. You get to be your own boss. No one tells you what to do. If you want time off, you just take it. You want a raise, you give yourself one. You get to pursue your passions.
The lesser-known jobs of a business owner
True. It’s all of that. But being the boss means negotiating for insurance coverage, filing for tax ID numbers, setting up phone systems and websites, running marketing campaigns, bringing in new business, negotiating with partners and vendors, finding office or retail space, running IT support, hiring and inspiring employees, worrying about making payroll and setting up benefits, talking to customers (even angry ones), figuring out how to improve your product or service, and on and on. And if you don’t do it yourself, you’ve got to pay someone else to do it.
Forget about taking time off when you want it. You’ll be lucky to find enough hours at night for sleep. Which may not be a problem as you lie in bed thinking about all the stuff that needs to get done tomorrow.
Are you the type who should start a business?
Not if you:
• like to spend your evenings and weekends relaxing
• like to go home between 5:00 and 6:00
• love to watch TV, surf the web, read, or spend time doing
something similar
• hate talking to people (especially those angry customers)
• are looking for work/life balance
• want to attend every dance performance, soccer game, and school play your children are in
• don’t like to get into the details or solve problems
• don’t tolerate stress really, really well
• like to sleep a solid eight hours a night
• are looking for ways to spend more time with your family
• don’t like tracking time or expenses
The list could go on and on and on. And that’s why millions of people work for other people, not themselves. And, at least some of the time, we don’t blame them at all.
So are you ready to start your own business? If so, start off with a new business logo with the help of our online logo maker.
