 |
| 120 reasons being an entrepreneur is awesome. Credit: Entrepreneur image via Shutterstock |
Every entrepreneur has a different reason for starting his or her business, but at the end of the day, most entrepreneurs will tell you it's one of the most rewarding things they've ever done.
It's not just about being your own boss or getting to work from home — although those things certainly don't hurt. Entrepreneurship is great for so many reasons, big and small.
Business News Daily asked entrepreneurs all over the world why they love what they do, and their responses ranged from incredibly inspiring to downright funny. Here's what they had to say:
No. 1: We, as humans, love new experiences but rarely can you experience a host of new things from inside your cubicle. This all changes when you are running the show. Starting your own business will ensure you'll always be facing new challenges and experiencing something new. — James Bregenzer, owner, Bregenzer Group
No. 2: When my boss told me to stay in my lane, I knew I had to do something else. The day I walked into my office and had the ability to grow my company was the day I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be. — Brittany Ringersen, CEO and founder, Lighthouse Recovery Institute
No. 3: The best part of being an entrepreneur is that you can get out of it exactly what you put in. The harder you work, the bigger the reward. — Elizabeth Henson, owner, Elizabeth Henson Photos
No. 4: The best part? Being able to say 'my company.' — Brian Pfeiffer, creator and CEO, Design a Tea
No. 5: By far what I enjoy the most about being an entrepreneur is theability to interact with a wide range of companies and individuals and to learn from them. — Linda Pophal, owner, Strategic Communications
No. 6: I feel fulfilled when Fridays come along and I get to give my employees their paycheck. My business is a small business (fewer than 15 employees), so I know all my employees well and like talking to them about their work and mentoring them if/when they need it. Also, knowing that there are people that depend on me for their livelihood drives me to keep growing my business. — Priyanka Murthy, head designer and CEO, Arya Esha
No. 7: One of the best parts of being an entrepreneur is that I can hire people to represent my company and myself, not some organization I'm working for. I have control over how I want my company to be branded. — Susan Baxter, president, Hire a WingWoman
No. 8:I'm never bored, sinceI'm always working on making something better. It's not a job where you do the same thing for 30 years, then retire. I get to try hundreds of different directions (some good, some bad) and learn as I go. —Jim Belosic, CEO, ShortStack
No. 9: As an employee, you are one ingredient in a recipe. You do not get to choose what gets cooked, how it is prepared or to whom it gets served. Additionally, your ingredient may be the one that will not make or break the recipe. As an entrepreneur, you have the freedom to design your own menu. — Karen Swim, owner, Words for Hire
No. 10: To me, one of the best things about being an entrepreneur is you're helping shape the future of the world. Whether it's a new consumer product, B2B service or a new medical device, what you do can have a profound impact on the lives of others. — Tim Segraves, co-founder, Revaluate
No. 11: I love that I get to decide who I help and how I help them. My clients are people I've chosen because I personally identify with them, so the problems I'm solving are both interesting and enjoyable. And I get to be creative in how I solve them, which would be harder to do as an employee. — Matt Becker, founder, Mom and Dad Money
No. 12: Being an entrepreneur allows me to color outside the lines and create clarity where others see chaos. It allows me to stretch beyond what I thought possible. — Michael Melfi, general counsel, Funderbuilt
No. 13: My worst day working for myself is nothing compared to my worst day working for someone else. — Jennifer Brown, founder, 3 Busy Dogs
No. 14: You have the opportunity to create an authentic, meaningful and sustainable corporate culture! — Jim Butler, CEO, RedKey Realty
No. 15: The best part of being an entrepreneur is getting to meet so many talented entrepreneurs, change-makers and passionate people, whether online or in person. If I didn't have to push myself to make my business succeed, I would have never stepped outside of my introvert comfort zone and made the great connections I have now. — Dana Rivera, owner, Dana Rivera Films
No. 16: I find the best part of [entrepreneurship] is that it allows me the flexibility to attend events at my children's school during the day, as well as volunteer at their school when necessary. A 9-to-5 corporate job would not allow me to do that. — Angelica L. Cox, owner and operator, The Wizor
No. 17: The best part about being an entrepreneur is being able to work with like-minded individuals and make a dent in the universe. — Tiffany Mason, owner, Mason Coaching and Consulting
No. 18: It is a whole-brain role — I have needed to learn and think and make decisions that impact the whole business, so I am constantly learning and experimenting with new things. It is exponentially more interesting than a clearly defined corporate position. — David McKeegna, co-founder, Greenback Expat Tax Services
No. 19: I get to wear T-shirts and bring my dog to the office. But actually, being an entrepreneur is great because I don't have to deal with any of the unnecessary rules, restrictions and bureaucracy of a large company. I just get to work on creating a company I love. — Ryan Farley, co-founder, Lawnstarter
No. 20: I'm real big on being legendary, meaning when I'm gone and forgotten about, my story will live on. Starting my own company and establishing it to the point where it is its own entity is my way of establishing a solidified legacy. — Kwame Molden, co-founder, SPGK
No. 21: One part of being an entrepreneur that I probably enjoy a bit too much is media coverage. Even if I've spent all day tweaking ad campaigns or with tech support trying to fix a computer issue, that little hit of validation is enjoyable. — Steve Silberberg, head guide and owner, FitPacking
No. 22: What I love most about being an entrepreneur is something I call the founder high. That's when a customer tells you that you created something that delighted them, excited them and made their lives better. — Adi Bittan, co-founder and CEO, OwnerListens.com
No. 23: I'm not trapped in pursuing the same career for the rest of my working life. I can continue to build my writing and marketing businesses, but if I do decide that there's an opportunity to do something else, it's all open to explore. — Dan Thornton, founder and creative director, TheWayoftheWeb.net
No. 24: I love the fascinating people I've been able to work with, around the country and around the world. — Shel Horowitz, owner, Green and Profitable
No. 25: I have the freedom to make decisions, my own decisions — right or wrong — without having to ask for permission or approval. — David Murdico, executive creative director, Supercool Creative Agency
No. 26: I'll say that, by far, the best bit of the many benefits of working for myself is that I now possess "work pajamas"! — Liz Scully, CEO, Rethink Retreats
No. 27: I get to decide my schedule each and every day. It's very empowering and allows me to be who I am. — Paul Lawrence Vann, founder, Living on Higher Ground
No. 28: I get to make a real impact in my community. It is very rewarding. — Jamie Broderick, founder, Network Now Connections
No. 29: I have lived by the motto, "It is not the money; it is the lifestyle." Because I run my own business, I live a great lifestyle. — Beverly Solomon, creative director, Musee Solomon
No. 30: After working alone in my office for close to a year, I decided to stretch the idea that I could work anywhere I wanted. For some entrepreneurs, that means working at home in their pajamas. For me (and my family), it meant leaving home completely and relocating to Europe. — Rob Marsh, owner, LogoMaker.com
No. 31: Being an entrepreneur has afforded me the opportunity to hear my son's first words, see his first steps, the first time he danced and enjoy having lunch meetings with my little round companion on a daily basis. — Holly Rodriguez, owner, H-Rod & Associates
No. 32: I love being able to take a nap whenever I damn well please. — Dan Nainan, comedian, DanielNainan.com
No. 33: I love that I have received a real-world MBA while doing what I am passionate about. — Emerson Taymor, co-founder and managing director, Philosophie
No. 34: Every little piece of the puzzle is your responsibility to figure out. That is so much fun! — Rob McGrath, president and CEO, Om Consultants
No. 35: Being my own boss allows me to take on new ventures and, more so, do what I want, with whom I want, and to win or fail with my own creativity and guts — on my terms. — Bernadette Boas, founder, Ball of Fire Consulting
No. 36: I can be as creative and as risky as I want to be with my company. If you work for someone else, you are working for their passions and in their way. I want it my way. I want my story. — Melisa Tropeano LaTour, owner, The MTL Communications Group
No. 37: First and most importantly is the tremendous freedom to create that is a result of being self-employed and calling the shots. — Joseph Ianni, founder, Swift Eyewear
No. 38: People can finally realize that I am more than just a Playboy model who looks pretty but actually has so much more to say, do and accomplish. — Stephanie Adams, founder and CEO, Goddessy Organics
No. 39: As a former CEO of a number of startups, I now help train the next generation of the same. — Thomas Frank, executive director, Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan
No. 40: I love being an entrepreneur so I can also be a full-time, nomadic traveler. I own next to nothing (but my business) and literally have traveled the world for the past three years! — Shanna Kurpe, founder, Grasp for Startups
No. 41: I think being an entrepreneur is absolutely the best route for women. I think this is true not just on a personal level, but as a society. The independence, confidence, character, financial sustainability, education and, importantly, sense of self that entrepreneurship provides has a true trickle-down effect. — Patty Kennedy, founder, Kennedy Spencer
No. 42: Being an entrepreneur is like being an acrobat without a net. For many people, this would create a level of anxiety that may impede effectiveness. However, for me and many other entrepreneurs, the stress associated with a lack of a backup plan focuses us and allows us to do more than we ever would be able to do working for someone else. — Dave Popple, president, Corporate Insights Global
No. 43: I love being able to enjoy the weekend every day. Yes, I love what I do, and my clients are amazing, but I can go shopping anytime I want, hang out with friends, go to movies, etc. — Monique Lewis, owner, Monique Lewis Management
No. 44: As the CEO of my company, I am able to dream big and stand for something important. There are very few jobs which nurture the soul quite as splendidly as being an entrepreneur. — Matt Reischer, CEO, LegalAdvice.com
No. 45: For me, it really is the idea of being responsible for my own success or failure. I would much rather be at the mercy of the marketplace than any "superior" in the workplace. — Don Bishop, owner, Affinigent.com
No. 46: Sure, doing what you love is a plus to working for yourself, but what I enjoy most is being able to track my success. Sadly, we have been taught success is increasing numbers, never missing a day of work or landing a client. But my success is literally getting up each day with a game plan and making it work. — Vannessa Wade, CEO, Connect The Dots PR
No. 47: I once had a boss complain I was always conflating things — mixing unlike things together. I realized I wasn't cut out for the follow-the-rules corporate world. As an independent brand strategist, I can conflate to my heart's content, and it is called creative, strategic thinking. — Lisa Merriam, founder, Merriam Associates
No. 48: Being an entrepreneur makes every day the best and worst day of my life — a thrill that can never be achieved doing anything else. — Zack Rosenberg, founder, Do Good Buy Us
No. 49: I quite literally cannot do anything else. I have a wicked learning disability, by U.S. educational standards. I cannot spell; I cannot file; I cannot do math. In fact, most low-level tasks are quite literally impossible for me, so working my way up the corporate ladder never quite worked out. — Beret Kirkeby, founder, Body Mechanics Orthopedic Massage NYC
No. 50: No wind, rain, storm or hail can stop me from playing golf as often as I can. And being an entrepreneur has allowed me to play golf as often as I want. — John Jonas, owner, ReplaceMyself.com
No. 51: The thing I love most about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to change people's lives. — Havona Madama, CEO and founder, KidKlass.com
No. 52: The biggest thing that I love about being my own boss is the ability to dress or not to dress at work. Some days, I'm responding to customer inquiries, retail requests and marketing messages when I'm drinking my coffee and still in my underwear. — Lisa Cash Hanson, CEO, Snuggwugg Inc.
No. 53: If you really enjoy what you are doing, if you know you are making a difference, if you understand the impact of your work, it is no longer work. It is more of a passion, a mission. — Louis Altman, CEO, GlobaFone Satellite Communications
No. 54: As an entrepreneur, I find myself able to connect with people in a way that I never did as an employee. — Jean Kristensen, president and CEO, Jean Kristensen AssociatesLLC
No. 55: Religiously hitting the gym every single day became a priority to me. I've never been in better shape in my life. — Lori Cheek, founder and CEO, Cheek'd
No. 56: Being an entrepreneur is great because it makes me a better person. I set more goals for myself to accomplish for personal and professional reasons. — Ponch Thompson, owner, Ponch Cosmetics
No. 57: I love that I haven't had to wear a watch in seven years. With no watch, you can spend as much time as you need to get the work done right, without a boss looking over your shoulder. — Scott Carpenter, president, cPR Brand Associates
No. 58: We see life as an adventure, and we wanted to go through this adventure together. Whatever the end will be, we will go through this journey hand in hand! — Mariquel and Gaston Waingarten, co-founders, Hickies
No. 59: I love being an entrepreneur because of the challenge. You have to lead yourself on a journey through the unknown and overcome obstacles along the way. — Michael O'Donnell, owner, Cave Tools
No. 60: The best part about owning my own business is being able to choose the people I surround myself with: employees, clients, suppliers. I choose people with positive energy whom I respect and trust. It makes the work a lot more fun. — Diana Tedesco, owner, Fraiche PR and Communications
No. 61: I am constantly required to face my fears, get out of my comfort zone and push myself to meet new challenges. — Christy Cook, CEO, Teach My
No. 62: My love for being an entrepreneur has changed from a love of being my own boss to a love for the process of change. I now realize my job description can change every two to three months. — Peter Murphy Lewis, owner, LaBicicletaVerde.com
No. 63: I love taking a boat to work in the summer — where I live on an island and wear yoga pants as much as I like. — Robin Samora, founder and CEO, Robin Samora Inc.
No. 64: When I started my business, my father said, "I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I'd bet on you." He was right. When you bet on yourself, you have the best odds to win. — Kelly Alvarez Vitale, president, Strategic Philanthropy Inc.
No. 65: The best part of being an entrepreneur is you don't have to be a genius. Simply study what other successful people have done, and implement it into your business — and then turn around and mentor others on the best practices that worked for you. — Clay Clark, CEO, Thrive15.com
No. 66: I absolutely love what I do. I've loved it every day over the past 11 years. I love it when I get out of bed in the morning, and I love it Sunday night when I know a new week is upon us. Through the ups and downs, I love it every step of the way. — Robert Burko, president and founder, Elite Email
No. 67: My purpose is to accumulate as many experiences in life as possible — whether by traveling to different places, meeting different people or participating in as many activities as I can. Entrepreneurship best facilitates this goal, allowing me to participate meaningfully in many stories all over the world. — Sam Prochazka, co-founder and CEO, Novosbed.com
No. 68: Entrepreneurship allowed me to home school my children when they were young. — Daria Brezinski, founder, WhatWizeWomenWant.com
No. 69: I like to challenge the status quo and the confines of accepted thought. — Josh Davis, owner, Made in Fort Worth
No. 70: My performance is measured by looking at the bottom line, not some arbitrary assessment interview conducted by someone I just met that day. — Kenneth Havens, owner, Freedom Online Japanese Market
No. 71: When else in life do we have complete permission to say "yes" to whatever we imagine will be a good idea? — Jennifer Martin, owner, Zest Business Consulting
No. 72: Being an entrepreneur is awesome for a lot of reasons. But I think the most important and overlooked reason is that it forces a person to develop parts of their personality that make them more well-rounded and a better person. — Ian Ippolito, founder and CEO, Exhedra Solutions Inc.
No. 73: One of the biggest reasons I love my job is because it's uniquely different every day. — Hanna Ashbaugh, owner, Hanna Lee Style
No. 74: I love being able to decorate the office how I like. — Emily Taffel, owner, Mugsy PR
No. 75: I love being an entrepreneur because no boss would ever allow me to ride the razor edge of professionalism-meets-flippantly-fun in everything I do. — Danna Korn, CEO and co-founder, Sonic Boom Wellness
No. 76: I got an education — on people, on life, on growing up, being a leader, being selfless and on being me instead of someone else. — Darren Magarro, president, The DSM Group
No. 77: I love being an entrepreneur because it allows me to have two families — my own and my company. — Jeff Tinsley, founder, MyLife.com
No. 78: If you love what you're doing, then work is automatically fun — and when work is fun, it doesn't feel like work. — Evan Honeyman, co-founder, TicketCorral.com
No. 79: I get to pick the events I attend, even if they are outside of my technical area of expertise. Who wants to go to conferences with other CPAs? — Charles Read, CEO, Custom Payroll AssociatesInc.
No. 80: I can't help but feel a thrill that we have been able to create so many opportunities for so many people. I cannot only relate to the challenges of being a woman and mother in the workplace, but I can also do something to make a career possible for other women. — Carrie Brinton, co-founder and president, Elase Medical Spas
No. 81: I have created an office environment where my team and I can stay healthy — we work standing, sitting or stretched out on the floor. We hang upside down on our inversion table. We bring healthy meals. And we always have good chocolate on hand. — Linda L. Hoopes, president, Resilience Alliance
No. 82: I get to spend the day with my dog, and I can foster dogs from local rescues. — Michelle Lowery, co-founder, Passion Fruit Creative Group
No. 83: Entrepreneurship is an adrenaline rush. — Gail Robinson, founder, Generosity LLC
No. 84: I always win (or lose, depending on your perspective) the "So, what do you do for work?" small-talk game. My response: "I make boob, sweat and fart pads." — Kim Castellano, founder and chief inventor, Fashion First Aid
No. 85: In this latest venture, the other co-founder is my 22-year-old daughter. I now love entrepreneurship because I get to work side by side with my daughter and mentor her. — Noel Huelsenbeck, chief sustainability officer, PuraKai Clothing
No. 86: Through it all, entrepreneurs push the envelope, as we are not bound by the way it's always been done. We see that as an opportunity to disrupt, redefine and invent. — Susan Aplin, co-founder and CEO, Bambeco
No. 87: I have learned to roll with the punches of owning a business. Pitfalls become learning experiences, and successes become new launching points for the company. — Nir Polak, CEO and co-founder, Exabeam
No. 88: I love being an entrepreneur because I'm creating something from scratch each day. — Chris Piper, co-founder, zoomStand
No. 89: I don't see it as business; I see it as a game. How many new appointments can I secure today? How many sales can I generate? — Linda Parry, CEO, Product Launchers
No. 90: Seeing my children design business ideas and watching my entrepreneurial spirit continued through my daughters magnifies my love for entrepreneurship. — Catherine Whitcher, founder, IEP Bootcamp
No. 91: I appreciate the freedom to think way outside the box and do things no one has done before. — Phil Masiello, president, 800razors.com
No. 92: I love the idea of owning my own business and doing whatever I want, when I want and how I want to do it. — Craig Wolfe, president, Celebriducks
No. 93: It is about the freedom to enjoy your life and your family — going to every high school soccer game and watching your daughter play, taking the afternoon and helping your son work on his house, taking the week off or working down at the shore. — Manny Nowak, founder, The Decision Institute
No. 94: There is a kind of living dangerously aspect of risking your own money and reputation that is somehow highly satisfying! — Mark Stevens, CEO, MSCO
No. 95: As an entrepreneur, I love being able to break out of the old molds set by established companies. — Rebecca Posten, CEO, PrevaLeaf Inc.
No. 96: Entrepreneurs are people who look at the world around them, identify problems and feel the urge to correct them, to make things better. Being an entrepreneur is not really a choice. It's probably closer to a disease. — Itai Sadan, CEO and co-founder, Duda
No. 97: It's the ability to bring something completely new into the world. I don't have any children, but I imagine it's a similar feeling — that thought that, had I not been here, this would have never happened. — Justin Nassiri, founder and CEO, StoryBox
No. 98: As an entrepreneur, there are no corners to hide in, no fall guys to take the blame and no bigwigs to take credit for your work. Every day that I get up to work, I know that whatever I do is going to make a difference to my company. You can't buy that kind of motivation. — Andrew Whitford, managing director, Trafficzoom.com
No. 99: We get to be innovative. We get to experiment. We create what we believe in and then implement it. We get to disrupt the industry in a positive way. — Shaun Tuch, co-founder, Professor Egghead Science Academy
No. 100: I love being an entrepreneur — first and foremost, to set the best example for my children possible. I want them to know that life is tough and challenging, but if you work hard and focus, then the outcome can be better than you ever expected. — Nellie Akalp, CEO, CorpNet.com
No. 101: I like swearing and wearing superhero T-shirts, and being able to do that at work and not get into trouble makes my soul smile. — Maurice Buchanan, CEO and founder, UGO1 Fitness
No. 102: The calm in the chaos is what I personally love about being an entrepreneur. It's a mental zone where love for what you do, mental strength and your will are put to the test and where achievements or success become significantly more gratifying. — David Salinas, CEO and co-founder, Digital Surgeons
No. 103: If you are resourceful, and most entrepreneurs are — you can figure anything out. The Internet's the limit. — Rachel Olsen, founder, Best Mom Products
No. 104: What's the best thing about being an entrepreneur? The hustle, baby! — Grant Cardone, founder, Cardone Training Technologies Inc.
No. 105: I love being able to help other women who have experienced homelessness or deep poverty to become successful businesswomen. — Lia Grimanis, founder, UpWithWomen.org
No. 106: Why I love being an entrepreneur? I'm not smarter than my boss. — Sandy Arons, owner, Arons & Associates Divorce Planning
No. 107: The entrepreneur community has a certain energy. Personally, I found it to be absent entirely from corporate America, and we thrive on it daily today. — Mike Solow, CEO, Idea HarvestLLC
No. 108: We've all heard the story about the lion at the zoo and his cousin in the wild. I'd rather be running for my food and risk not eating than having slabs of meat thrown at me while I sit in a 12-by-12 concrete pit. — Kyle Eschenroeder, co-founder, StartupBros
No. 109: I can move at the speed of startup every single day — testing, adapting and pivoting in a beautiful and efficient culture that promotes positive change over stagnating tradition. — Tim Linnet, chairman, Providence International
No. 110: We are special and unique in the animal kingdom because of our ability to see the future and then achieve it. What being an entrepreneur allows you to do is create the future you want. — Spencer Thompson, founder and CEO, Sokanu
No. 111: We can decide what our company perks are. Of course, we offer basics like vacation and health insurance. However, we also do fun things to reward our employees. — Shannon Stull Carrus, creative director, Who Is Carrus
No. 112: My kids see me fail and then pick up the pieces and try again — all good life lessons that teach perseverance and the power of determination. — Deborah Stallings Stumm, president and founder, Super Moms 360
No. 113: A huge positive is the flexibility to support nonprofits in my community and help make a difference. — Lisa Pontes, owner, The Pontes Group
No. 114: I never have to sit in another 3-hour meeting, listening to people pontificate about something they know nothing about. Now, I can tell them to shut up and get out. — Tao Wong, CEO, PDB Sales Inc.
No. 115: I love being an entrepreneur because of control. Control has a negative connotation, but to me, it's something beautiful and powerful. — Felena Hanson, founder, Hera Hub
No. 116: As an entrepreneur, you add value to society, as some product or service exists in the world because of you. — Mike Oeth, CEO, OnSip
No. 117: I love being an entrepreneur because I know that my business is actually changing how people feel about themselves and about finding love. — Suzanne Casamento, founder, Fantasy DatingLLC
No. 118: The greatest reason to be an entrepreneur? The incredible fairness of it — there's no force more fair in the world than the marketplace of ideas. The live-and-die fairness of the market awakens something inside of you — passion, hunger, fear — that makes you feel more alive than you've ever felt before. — David Yang, founder, Full Stack Academy
No. 119: I can tell myself to go to hell and not worry about being fired. — MJ Pedone, president and founder, Indra Public Relations
No. 120: Becoming an entrepreneur has given me a unique and remarkable opportunity to reconnect with and assist people in the Philippines and also celebrate my Filipino culture. — Tessa Yutadco, founder and CEO, My Prime Skin Care
No comments:
Post a Comment