What is one surprisingly fun thing about being an entrepreneur?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. Kinship
“When I was a kid, my first car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I was always jealous of the Jeep Wrangler drivers who had a special “Wrangler wave” when they passed one another. It’s an odd parallel to the way it feels when you meet another entrepreneur. There is an automatic kinship between you which often leads to great relationships and storytelling of ups, downs, tips and warnings.”
– Darrah Brustein, Network Under 40 / Finance Whiz Kids
2. Versatility in Work Environments
“I love to travel and think that it’s incredibly important to have in your life — it broadens your mind, expands your experiences and ultimately inspires you to create bigger and better products given your newfound understanding of the world. I love the ability to take my company anywhere, and operate from any corner of the globe, without slowing momentum.”
– Rob Fulton, Exponential Black
3. Uncertainty
“When I first made the decision to start my own business, the uncertainty of it all was the most anxiety-producing thing. My old job might have been boring, but it was stable. However, I’ve come to thrive off of the uncertainty. Most people don’t hate their jobs because the work is hard, they hate them because it’s monotonous. Not knowing what will happen makes my job exciting and worth doing. I love it.”
– Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com
4. My Team
“When I first started working on the idea for Priori, I spent a lot of time alone in my apartment or in coffee shops creating a business plan and trying to get potential advisors or investors to meet with me. In the past year, we’ve grown from three employees to 10 — and it’s an incredibly satisfying feeling to watch my idea come to life and see my employees buy into my vision for change.”
5. Meeting Great People
“Whether it’s working with my team, meeting potential clients, following up with existing and/or past clients, or networking with business partners, getting to meet and help great people every single day is hands down one of the most fun things about being an entrepreneur.”
– David Ehrenberg, Early Growth Financial Services
6. Unlimited Creativity and Scope
“Being an entrepreneur gives me the potential to come up with and execute on ideas freely, while others might be limited by having to get approval or going through a series of people and procedures. The feeling of having no limits provides a certain freedom that is liberating and fulfilling to have.”
– Stanley Meytin, True Film Production
7. Making My Own Schedule
“There’s a psychological benefit of knowing you can take off whenever you want. Even if you work 80 hours a week, it’s nice to know you could run out and get a haircut in the middle of the day without asking anyone’s permission. Now if I could only find time to get a haircut!”
8. Firing Clients
“When I was working at a record label I didn’t really have any say on which projects I worked. If it was on the label’s roster, I was stuck with that artist and their team, regardless of how terrible the music and/or people. Now, if I get into a project and realize that it just isn’t going to work, I can drop that project and still keep my job. That freedom is worth the hard work and long hours.”
9. The Challenge of Doing So Much With So Little
“As an entrepreneur you gain experience in a variety of areas much more quickly than if you worked different jobs in various departments.”
– Lane Campbell, Syntress SCDT
10. Every Day is Different
“Every day has a whole host of new challenges and you will always learn something new each day. ”
11. Everything is More Interesting
“When you’re running a business, you’re involved in all aspects of it. Even if you’re running a cupcake shop, the latest employment laws are relevant to you. Many news stories that were previously “for other people” are now important for you to be educated on. It forces you to become more worldly and a generalist.”
12. You Get to Be Yourself Without Wearing a Tie Every Day
“As an entrepreneur, you get to set the tone. I love the fact that I can be who I am and not have to wear a tie all the time.”
– Kevin Xu, Mebo International
13. Creating Culture
“As an entrepreneur, I cherish the social aspect of the job. There’s always something new to learn from customers and employees, and being able to create a positive company culture influenced by incredible people is fulfilling. We’ve all had jobs with toxic, negative environments. I’m glad I was able to break out of those spaces and build a better one for my team and myself.”
14. Figuring Out the Best Solution
“It amazes most people how we entrepreneurs are able to overcome adversity and overwhelm on an almost daily basis. It’s so fun commanding my own time despite the hurdles and skyscrapers that appear in my path. Figuring out the best solution to leap over, dig under, go around, or just charge through those roadblocks is very rewarding.”
– Joshua Lee, StandOut Authority
15. Getting Amazingly Talented People to Believe in Your Vision
“When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re constantly selling your vision, your dream and your company. And you’re trying to get high-level people to believe in you, support you and accompany you. You get the honor of inspiring talented people to come alongside you and build something special together.”
Photo Credits
Sergey Nivens | Courtesy of StartupCollective
