Why did you become an Entrepreneur?

[EF-Roger]

Lets hear your stories.

 

[Jade]

When I was very young I wanted to have money to go to the movies with friends. I purchased reseller plan and offered $1 hosting or a "premium" for $4.99

I always sold the premium, and from that experience kickstarted my career.

 

[Kathryn M.]

For me, I think it was something I grew up around that had a huge impact on me. The principal at the elementary school I went to owned the school and was an entrepreneur. The woman who has styled my hair my entire life for dance recitals, proms, and other special events was an entrepreneur with her own hair salon. The dance team that I enjoyed for years as a kid was owned by a woman who owned her own dance studio. The local butcher in the town. who everyone loved to get their meat products from, owned the shop he worked in. The list goes on and on. I was very lucky to have grown up around those people because they all produced excellent businesses through hard work and showing up every day. I don't ever recall any of those people ever taking a day off. Their businesses were their life and who they were.

I started off with a T-shirt business as my first business. I was in 7th grade, and I believe I only sold 1-2 shirts for $20 each. As I grew older I started ebay, web design, youtube, and instagram businesses. It's been a fun ride and really wouldn't do anything else. I get to work from home, in my pajamas, eating at my desk, watching tv and movies, and I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock. I would never trade those things for traffic, annoying co-workers, or managers who hover over your shoulder every 5 minutes.

 

[mtayp01]

I'm not an entrepreneur yet but I'd like to comment on this. I've always wanted to manage my own business since I was a kid. I find it really fulfilling to have something to call your own, and to see it grow due to your efforts. When I got to college, I took several courses on entrepreneurship and even tried to start my own business with a couple of friends. That didn't work out well for us, unfortunately, but that experience hasn't stopped me from wanting to further pursue my plan of having my own business. Right now I'm still in the process of raising enough capital, so wish me luck!

 

[Kathryn M.]

I'm not an entrepreneur yet but I'd like to comment on this. I've always wanted to manage my own business since I was a kid. I find it really fulfilling to have something to call your own, and to see it grow due to your efforts. When I got to college, I took several courses on entrepreneurship and even tried to start my own business with a couple of friends. That didn't work out well for us, unfortunately, but that experience hasn't stopped me from wanting to further pursue my plan of having my own business. Right now I'm still in the process of raising enough capital, so wish me luck!

I agree with that. There is a lot of intrinsic value in being an entrepreneur. Knowing that your business will fail or succeed based on your own efforts is another thing that makes it worthwhile for me. If I work, I get paid. If I don't work, I don't get paid. It's that easy and that cut and dry.

However, when I mention to others who are not entrepreneurs, that your job is based on your own efforts, they always seem dumbfounded by that. As if putting effort into something is too hard or not worth it. They would rather go to a job and get paid a salary regardless if they work or spend the whole day on Facebook. I guess you can't really argue with that. Getting paid regardless if you work or not is good. However, there will always be a catch to that. Not performing over a long period of time will eventually get you fired, and there is also a cap on how much you can make when you earn a salary. You are always stuck at that one pay rate. Whereas, with self employment, you can set your own prices and work as much as you want to earn as much as you want.

 

[Apolloniac]

Not an entrepreneur yet but I've sold some products and services on the side. I want to become an entrepreneur because I wanted to work on my time and passions. I can't stand working a 9-5 job anymore, the companies I worked for were ok but the thought that I was working for someone else and building their reputation made me feel like my time there was bought and paid for.

 

[Steve Dawson]

I like to work, I've always been a 'grafter', never happy sat around waiting to get started or when I'm not that busy. After almost 3 decades in corporate positions, I was utterly sick of corporate 'ra-ra-ing'. The last company I worked for, a large financial institution in the UK was undergoing a period of belt-tightening, wages were not being increased, targets were being driven up and morale was low. In order to counter this the company decided that an increased amount of spending on corporate events was the answer. These would often consist of pointless motivational speech days that did not motivate me or others. As the morale got ever lower, the company expected a greater and greater amount of declarations of love for the corporate image. Presumably so they could report back that morale was not a problem. There came a point where I couldn't be bothered with this corporate image bolstering anymore, and its the one element of larger corporations that I always found pointless and de-motivating.

 

[pwarbi]

I've never been afraid of hard work either and I've always liked the idea of working for myself. While I've had the usual day jobs in the past as I'm sure most of us have, it quickly dawned on me that it doesn't matter how good, or how hard you work when employed by somebody else, most of the time your hard work goes un-rewarded.

 

[Kathryn M.]

My 9-5 job bored me. I couldn't do the work I wanted and spent most of my time trying to look busy rather then being busy as what I was allowed to do was restricted by my managers. Eventually I got fed up of all the backstabbing of the upper ranks and the lies that was being passed down and decided I no longer wanted to be part of that.

This is such a horrendous problem and vast epidemic in corporate. Most employees are just sitting around trying to look busy and I feel that managers do it more often then regular employees. It always seemed like the only time managers did any actual work was when it was time to micromanage and/or hover over an employee. Other than that, they were usually sitting at their desk on the Internet or on a personal call.

I've never been afraid of hard work either and I've always liked the idea of working for myself. While I've had the usual day jobs in the past as I'm sure most of us have, it quickly dawned on me that it doesn't matter how good, or how hard you work when employed by somebody else, most of the time your hard work goes un-rewarded.

This may be the reason why employee feel more propelled to "look busy," rather than actually work. Either their hands are tied on the type of work they can do, like @Sugar Cube Productions said above, and it leaves them unfulfilled, or they know their efforts will go un-noticed by the boss, who may even take credit for their work, so they don't even bother to give their best. It's a good way to preserve emotional energy and mental sanity, but horrible for productivity.

 

[pwarbi]

You often find that a business started by an entrepreneur or a person that as set up their own business is a better boss and looks after their employees more than one of these giant conglomerates do.

They're more in tune with their staff and know how to get the best out of them as they have been in the same situation themselves.

 

[dyanmarie25]

I haven't tried running a business yet, but I surely would want to verge into entrepreneurship in the future. Well, when I was younger, business never sparked any interest in me. But after graduating from college, I have realized that being an employee for all my life is not something I'd want to do forever.

 

[pwarbi]

What sort of business would you be thinking about for the future @dyanmarie25 ? Would you do something because your interested in it or do you just want to get rich, haha! Both are fine by the way, I was just wondering what motivates you.

 

[mtayp01]

My 9-5 job bored me. I couldn't do the work I wanted and spent most of my time trying to look busy rather then being busy as what I was allowed to do was restricted by my managers.

I agree! There were times when I just had nothing to do, but I still had to look "busy" in the office just to keep up appearances! I know I could've done something much more productive with my time rather than sit in my cubicle and face the computer all day doing nothing, but given that that's how a regular employee's schedule works, I really didn't have a choice. Right now I'm just saving up and waiting for the right idea to pop into my head before deciding to quit my corporate day job and start an entrepreneurial venture of my own.

 

[K.D.]

My transition into entrepreneurial-ship was organic and something that I believe I was working toward my whole life. I've always had ideas for earning money. In college, I learned to braid and do other hairstyles so that I could earn spending money. I set up tutoring and editing services for fellow classmates who were not as gifted academically. Pursuing my passion for writing led to creating an online creative writing magazine. But I felt that I needed more experience in the workforce to properly understand what it meant to be a business-owner. After graduating and getting married, I accepted a position as an Outreach Coordinator for a non-profit. Through my work with them, I was led to teaching while earning my master's degree. All along, I ran a PartyLite business, sold lingerie for another direct sales company, tried Avon, and worked as a web designer. When my daughter was born, I realized that if I wanted to have the life that I dreamed about - homeschooling and being present for her and my husband - I would have to be a full-time entrepreneur. That's when I left teaching, established my social media, design, and content management firm, and made up my mind to no longer work for anyone but myself. That was eight years ago and I could not be happier.

 

[K.D.]

I've never been afraid of hard work either and I've always liked the idea of working for myself. While I've had the usual day jobs in the past as I'm sure most of us have, it quickly dawned on me that it doesn't matter how good, or how hard you work when employed by somebody else, most of the time your hard work goes un-rewarded.

It's true. Being unrewarded for hard work is a motivation-killer. Unfortunately, it happens a lot as a business owner too, but it's easier to remain motivated when you know that you will truly benefit from that perseverance.

 

[pwarbi]

And that's exactly the difference. When you work for yourself you know that even though sometimes it is hard, it's you yourself that will get the reward at the end of it, so for most people that's the only motivation they need.

 

[Rusnal2]

I have been a entrepreneur my whole life. Selling and trading with the kids on the block. To running a contruction business. I have also been on the employee side. Currently collaborating on ecommerce and other related projects. Idea generation and finding a way to improve or revolutionize a product or service that is something I enjoy doing.

 

[SC93]

While I just some how always knew I would own my own business, I worked for others until I was 29 years old. Just after I turned 29 I told myself I was either going to have my own business by the time I was 30 or I was going to California to be a beach bum. If I would have changed 1 thing I wouldn't be where I am today and I love where I am today.

When I started my first business I had no clue what it took to run a business. I have learned the hard way.

 

[Michael007]

One of the motivating factors that made me become an entrepreneur was providing for myself and family an alternative way of making extra income.
Nobody prays for evil but sometimes people get to lose there jobs due to unplanned accidents and they become unemployable, so what next. But as an entrepreneur if you have a successful business it becomes an asset that at your absence you can transfer to your family and kids...

 

[terryse]

I took up a Business Administration degree inspired by the story of Warren Buffet, the greatest investor to ever live. When I graduated the first job i got was as a college librarian, simply because i was a student assistant for four years all throughout my student years. However, with the internet boom, i started making very nominal gains by creating blogs and monetizing them and being a part-time freelance writer.