How Badly Do You Want To Become An Entrepreneur

This is a guest post by Karen from Makinthebacon

A lot of people may assume that running your own online business is easy and you’re just in your pajamas all day, working on a beach or some other exotic destination. While this may be true for a lot of high-level successful entrepreneurs, you have to realize the vast amount of time and effort it can take to get there.

It’s not a get rich, quick scheme. I think more often than not, people tend to focus on the results, rather than the actual process to produce the results. The truth is, the majority of us are spending a LOT of time in our home office or in coffee shops, drinking substantial amounts of coffee and trying to focus on the task at hand.

Building your business on the side is tough

Not only are you working your day job- you’re working on your business after work. While you’re not necessarily working around the clock, you are working a LOT more than you ever have. However, if it’s work you truly enjoy doing, then it doesn’t seem that grueling all the time.

Your current job situation may not be as ideal and it can be tempting to want to work for yourself. Quit your job because you want to work for yourself, work on your passion, help others and create a living from that passion.

Don’t become an entrepreneur just for the sake of having that title either. It’s one thing to say you want to become one, it’s another thing to say it, start planning and actually do something about it. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

Ask yourself what you want out of this lifestyle: 

• Freedom and flexibility?
• To make your own schedule and travel more?
• To work and travel at the same time?

If you’re not used to working from home, it may be quite an adjustment.  Will you be able to make your own schedule and stick to it? It takes a lot of discipline to work from home and to work for yourself.

It’s important to take these next questions into consideration because you need something to pay your rent/mortgage and the bills. Don’t forget you have to eat. And coffee isn’t free.

• Have you taken your finances into consideration?
• Are you making money through your side business?
• Do you have money set aside for those months you aren’t making money from your business?
• Do you have additional streams of income?

While it is possible, it’s definitely not easy trying to manage a full-time job, a part-time job and trying to build a business on the side. I have recently adjusted my work week so that I will be spending less hours at my full-time job, but more so on my side business. I had been thinking about it for several months and came to the realization that if I really wanted to turn this into something, working on it before/after work and on weekends, wouldn’t be enough. I needed to have more uninterrupted time to focus on building the business. There would come a point when I would have to transition myself into a different mindset and a different schedule.

And I had reached that point.

Make time for the things that are a priority to you

I find myself still having energy when I work on my side business. No matter how tired I am, I always seem to have passion to do the things that I love. And that I always manage to find time, even if it means adjusting my schedule, cutting something out of my schedule or saying no to someone or something.

No two journeys are alike

I’m guilty of this, but try not to compare yourself to others, even those who are on a similar path and have started around the same time as you. Only compare yourself to your previous self.

To be honest, I’m not even sure I’m ready for the challenge when my job potentially ends in March 2017, but I know I’ll regret if I don’t try. I know I can always go back to working a 9 to 5 if I want to. It’s not the end of the world and it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. I know I can also still go back and try to run the business a second time. Who says you only have to try things once?

Do you want to run your own business or prefer working for somebody else?

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