SO WHY DO IT?
We sometimes ask that question when we interview entrepreneurs. We want to know why they put so much on the line, why they sacrifice so much time away from family, and, above all, why they work so damn hard. It seems a heck of a lot easier to work for someone else and get a steady paycheck (and maybe sick time, paid vacation, and benefits, too).
Granted, we feature many success stories on Inc.’s cover or homepage and it’s likely easy for a person who has achieved fantastical fame or fortune to wax poetic about the joys of entrepreneurship.
But keep in mind, our reporters and editors talk to people at all stages of business ownership. So we hear a little bit about the struggle. Actually, we hear a lot about the struggle. We hear about fights with zoning boards, meltdowns of computer systems, and nightmares about not making payroll. We know that running a business entails putting out a lot of fires, both figurative and literal.
Yet, we still hear excitement in people’s voices—even on the difficult days—when we ask them about what made them start their own business. “I always wanted to be able to call my own shots, be in charge of my destiny, and have the ability to set my own life,” one entrepreneur told Inc. Another spoke of never “going back to corporate and being a robot again.” Still others have told us that they were motivated to start a company to forge a lasting legacy.
We’ve heard it all. Women entrepreneurs tell us that they were drawn to starting a company because they could have more control over their schedules than in the corporate world. (It’s perhaps not a news flash that women are still the primary caretakers of children and elderly family members.) Immigrant entrepreneurs, and people of color, tell us they wanted to launch a business because they saw opportunities that no one else was chasing. The formerly incarcerated tell us they were motivated to do their own thing because absolutely no one else would hire them. Extroverts say they want to start a business because that’s what extroverts do. Introverts say they want to start a business because they don’t like working for extroverts. And the list goes on.
You’ll have your own reasons for starting your own company—and whatever they are, we hope the advice, insight, and stories we’ve shared in these pages will help you in your own entrepreneurial journey. We’ve rarely heard anyone say they’ve regretted giving entrepreneurship a shot. But we do hear a lot of people saying: “I really wish I had taken that idea and run with it.” Now get going.