Owning a business can be (fill in the blank)
On a scale of 1 –10, I love owning my own business. There are many reasons for this, however the drive to succeed likely supercedes all others for me. I am not competitive with others by nature. I am highly competitive however with myself.
The best satisfaction I derive is from making myself do things in business that I never thought I could or that others said couldn’t be done. On the personal front, I’m not so great at this. If I were, I would challenge myself to be exercising regularly and eating healthier than I do. But that is likely a conversation for Dr. Phil’s site not for my work blog.
There are days however in business when I just frankly want to say I’ve had enough. The saying that it’s like a rollercoaster ride – with the highs being higher and the lows being lower than anything else you will ever do - is so true. One day you are feeling ecstatic that you have climbed that impossible hill and the next day you wonder how you are going to be able to dig yourself out of a hole that feels bottomless.
On those bleak days, I would fill in the blank in my headline with the world Hell. Whether its from feeling frustrated with the ongoing dynamics of business or whether its dealing with issues that are so clearly not what I got into business to deal with, it is often no fun whatsoever.
BUT. And, it’s clearly a big but, there is no better feeling for me then when our company has helped another firm to deliver on its business and marketing goals. There’s nothing that can replace the feeling I have when our team works together to do the impossible and does so with integrity, fun and intelligence. Nothing beats that. And that feeling overcomes all of the bad stuff and all of the business headaches I sometimes experience.
I guess the reality is that on 95% of the days I’d fill in the headline with the word Incredible.
And that feeling is enough to get me out of bed every day and wonder what the day will hold. I realize that sometimes it’s going to be just a plain awful day and, awfully hard to get through. But I know that on most days its going to be, well, incredible. So that makes me one of the luckiest roller coaster riders in the world. Because I know that when the ride is low it will surely go back up and I will feel like we’ve climbed a mountain. That thrill will always have me getting back on the train again and again.
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February 13th, 2008 at 11:45 am
So you didn’t answer your question, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you love running your own business?
March 29th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I agree with you totaly. Some days I feel like I own the world and others I feel like the world hates me. If it wasn’t for the bad days the great ones would loose some luster. I recently had that experience. I was working with a key partner involved with our product development and realized that we were wasting each others time. I was too small for their commitment expectations so I had to say goodbye after 6 months of work. I was mortified! I thought my business was over before it even began. I called a back-up company that I had found on the net months earlier. Needless to say my day got a whole lot better. We are expecting product samples next week! In 24 hours I went from the end of the world to on top of it!
I wouldn’t have it any other way!
To answer Steve’s question about how much you love your business; it’s like the stock market! Some days you’re up and some you’re down!
But it’s always worth it!!
November 10th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
So much truth in this one, your line “I am not competitive with others by nature. I am highly competitive however with myself.” Is something I can completely relate too.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
As an aspiring-entrepreneur, I can relate to these wise words. My most powerful highs have been sparked by the successful sale to a customer who I never thought would bite. On the contrary, the endless struggle to convince investors that I have a sounds idea, my challenging foreign market, and the never ending battle with competitors for market share leave me exhausted and heart-broken. The challenges faced by entrepreneurs are infinite in number. But would we have it any other way? Would we be satisfied with stability and simplicity in our professional lives?
Absolutely not. Keep pushing!