5 Things We Love (And Sometimes Hate) About Entrepreneurship

Let's face it.  For those of us that have been in the game awhile; we have a healthy love/hate relationship with Entrepreneurship.  

Don't get me wrong, I believe being an entrepreneur in today's world, is not only easier than ever, but it is the only way to go if you want true freedom and control over your own destiny.  And that's the challenge of it.  One minute things can be going awesome, the next minute they can fall apart.  For example, win a big client one day, lose one the next.

But for those of us that understand and are committed to the game, there is nothing better.  Here are 5 things we love (and sometimes hate) about Entrepreneurship.

1.)  The Hustle

As an entrepreneur, no matter what stage you are in, you always have to hustle.  Whether you are the young disruptor coming up, or you've been at it a while, but know those young disruptors are always lurking; you've got to hustle, make it happen, continue to grind, and push the boundaries.

The beautiful part about this is that it is something you will always do and as an entrepreneur love to to do. There is opportunity around every corner, in every connection, and always ways to improve and grow. That is what makes it fun and exciting.  The downside, if you call it that, is that it is something you always will have to do.  You cannot rest.  You cannot get complacent.  You have to hustle day in and day out.   And you have to keep that perspective in place, otherwise you can burn out.

2.) The Process of Becoming Bullet Proof

If you've been an entrepreneur for some time, you probably know the exact date you went from questioning yourself and your ability to make it, to where you became "bullet proof" knowing you could overcome anything.  We've all been there.  You're accounting person is scared to death because "we're not gonna make payroll," or "we just lost a major deal that we were counting on," and even "my best employee just took another job."  

Entrepreneurs always have to be ready for anything and he able to handle anything.  It really is a special skill, that no matter how much toughness you are born with, still has to be cultivated through experience over time.  Entrepreneurs are at their best when they are figuring out how to overcome the toughest challenges and continue to move forward.  Of course, this sometimes also really sucks and can make life not so fun for a while, but overcoming the challenge is what you have to do to become "bullet proof."  And we love that.

3.)  Long Days (and nights)

No matter what you do, you're going to have some long days and nights.  The thing we love about long days and nights in being an entrepreneur is that we typically want to put in that time and enjoy it immensely. We know that we are growing our business, that we are putting in the time the competition isn't, and that we are separating ourselves and our business in the marketplace.

To us, it's a joy, but to our families, that isn't always the case. And this is where a lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake and lose balance.  Even though you could work every night and every weekend doesn't mean you should.  So, by all means, put the time in and love that you are doing the little things that are going to pay off down the road, but don't miss out on all the little things happening right now.  Trust me, you'll regret it later.

4.)  The Pursuit

This goes along with the hustle.  The reason you are hustling is that you are in pursuit of something.  It could be a goal, a business milestone, the release of a new product, winning your biggest client; anything really.  As entrepreneurs, we love the pursuit and reaching the next level of success, whatever it is.  

The one thing we don't like (usually afterward with some reflection) is how sometimes the pursuit can blind us.  We get so focused, sometimes obsessed, and in the zone on what we are going after, that we miss other critical things going on and the opportunity to address them before they become larger issues (see point #2 above).  Then, we have to work harder and waste more resources to deal with them later when they are larger.   This can happen to anyone, in any role, but as an entrepreneur, time and resources are our most precious commodities and we hate to waste them.  Always make sure to stop and check the rest of your business while on the pursuit.

5.)  The Responsibility​

Whether entrepreneurs admit it or not, we love the responsibility.  We love being able to create something from nothing.  We love hiring our employees, helping them reach their goals, and watching them contribute in ways we know we never could.   We love knowing that sometimes, its falls squarely on us to make it happen and keep "this thing running."  And we love helping so many clients with our products and solutions.

We don't take this responsibility lightly and there are definitely some bad days. But, we know that is part of the responsibility, part of the hustle, part of the long days and nights, part of becoming bullet proof,  and part of the pursuit.  And we wouldn't want it any other way...