Your Suspect

Last evening I read an article in Inc. titled, “We Asked, You Twittered” and subtitled, “What’s the best part of owning your business?” The submissions were as follows:

Defining success. You set the goals, and you sit on both sides of the table at the performance review.
– Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Real Life E

Making the sale. No better feeling than seeing an overjoyed customer. – Kendall Schoenrock, Larger Than Life Prints

Being able to inspire others: employees, clients, investors, partners. And to do so while in flip-flops. – Mike Mothner, Wpromote

Best part is working on me. My business is me and I am my business; there is no separating us. I can work on business from bed – Veronica Castro, Entiise Lingerie

I don’t have to worry about being “downsized.” – Tony Darnell, WideVision

Knowing what the “long view” really is. – Tom Sadler, The Middle River Group

The absolute absurd amount of hustle and how much knowledge you get from it.
– Braden Douglass, Pixel Spills Design

Calling the shots, creative freedom, managing a schedule based on my life needs, being myself and getting paid for it – Valerie Parizeault, Rose Flash Studio

The ability to be creative in pursuit of a creative goal — the best antidepressant ever. – Jeff Carter, Unison Search

Having a goal, a purpose, an income, and a destiny that’s in my own hands. – Ian Watt, Ian Watt Real Estate

Doing a video conference wearing a suit jacket and no pants. – Justin A. Schuck, L/A Events

No one yells at you when you take a day off. – Phyllis Pometta, Baby Swags

This got me thinking about my own likes and dislikes. I’ve been an entrepreneur in varying capacities since about 1997 or so when I started my own home-based consulting business, helping small local businesses with their computer needs and with their websites. This was the first spark in what has now become an entrepreneurial blaze. Interestingly enough, I find myself more than ten years later serving the same market in a very similar capacity. Well, anyway, I’m getting off track.

I thought about a few of my own items, and here they are. I’d love to hear from you, especially if you are an entrepreneur or even an aspiring one.

My 10 Favorite Things About Being an Entrepreneur

1. Selling the vision.
2. Watching my team work together to solve a problem entirely on their own.
3. Seeing our customers happy.
4. Seeing our employees happy.
5. Hiring people.
6. Building a company (not the same as building a business).
7. Working towards my life goals.
8. Knowing that I have a job tomorrow.
9. Being a critical element in the plan.
10. The constant change and need to adapt.

My 10 Least Favorite Things About Being an Entrepreneur

1. Letting people go.
2. The frauds, the poseurs, the leaches, the liars.
3. Finances and financial matters.
4. Being susceptible to powerful outside influences (e.g., economy).
5. The pressure I put on myself to work harder.
6. The consequences of working harder.
7. Not having enough ______ to do ______.
8. Unhappy employees.
9. Unhappy customers.
10. The constant change and need to adapt.

What do you think about these? Can you relate? What’s your list?