The Truth About Being an Entrepreneur

We are inundated with social media posts, reels and tik toks that glamorize the entrepreneurial lifestyle. There may be some truth to some of them but certainly not all. As an entrepreneur who has been in business for almost 12 years I can assure you the road is not always easy.  We joke around with some of our friends and talk about where we're going to work other than for ourselves. Some of us say Walmart, Chick Fil A, Target and the list goes on. The reality of it though is that we're still here and doing what we do because we have a true love for it. There's no other explanation for putting yourself through this level of stress. LOL. 

According to SCORE, Gallup found that 39% of business owners work more than 60 hours per week.  Most people couldn't handle the stress that comes along with owning a business. According to a 2016 Annual Bank of The West Small Business Growth Survey the top 3 challenges  business owners deal with are: 

1. Living with the uncertainty of owning your own business - most people are accustomed to going to work and receiving a pay check during some time of the month. Imagine not having that certainty because business was slow a particular week or month. Regardless of what your business is if you're not selling you're not making any money. Then again, sometimes you are but it's still not enough so you have to make hard decisions. Ex. The utility bill is due but you just had a major piece of equipment breakdown. You need both to operate. A decision has to be made quickly. 

2. Always being on the job - most people can leave work at the end of the day and it's over for them until they return the next day. Imagine never being able to turn off. Even when you try in the back of your mind you're always thinking about work because ultimately this is how you eat. So of course you try to carve out time but I always tell people I "steal" time. Our clients can call at any time to request our services and we're in an industry where unanswered calls will typically result in them going somewhere else.  I'm grateful to finally be at the point where I don't work on Sundays. Unless it's a catering event,  I will not respond to emails or work on anything administrative on Sunday.  It's the only day I've carved out for myself. 

3. Burnout - whew! This is a big one. Business owners work so hard that I believe burnout is inevitable. The only way to combat it is to recharge so that you can go again. It's only when business owners realize and accept this that they can do what is necessary in order to keep going. Most people can't imagine being "ON" all the time. Whether you're on the phone or seeing people in the community it's important to be friendly, nice and approachable. Sadly, no one cares that you're burnt out or you've had a rough day. 

All in all it's like having the best job that you love to hate sometimes. Entrepreneurs are usually built pretty tough. It takes a whole lot to take us out so that 's a great thing. We appreciate all of the love we've received from our clients and community and all we ask is that you continue to support us along with other small businesses. 

At your service, 

The Dynamic Duo

Sameka & 'Emma