Posted by Raphael on Jan 31, 2013 in My Business Adventures, Personal | 0 comments

I’ve had a few friends make comments lately about their love and success about their own businesses. In my many years of networking I know quite a few business owners now. I think each of them shared stories about leaving high paid jobs and taking a leap a few years back to start their own business. Today they feel much happier that they made that move.

I don’t doubt them for a bit. And a certain part of me misses that feeling of waking up on my own time each day, looking for my own work, and getting paid as a direct result of my effort.

Sure, I still DO consider myself an independent business owner for Lowe Studio. But now that I’ve since stepped back into a salaried position I think I can weight in better on the differences between owning your own business versus working for someone with a paycheck.

First, I LOVE being a business owner. I would not have expected me to say so 10 years ago. I loved the independence. I LOVED the sense of accomplishment it feels to earn a living based off of nothing else but my own sweat equity. It gave me pride in my work and helped me get up each morning. I loved meeting new people…either by way of business networking, but by way of meeting them as clients. I loved being my own boss and making my own shots.

Yes, everything they say about owning your own business is true. I would not trade these years of experience for anything else. Even taking a cut in pay was well worth it. I also left a good paying position with a private office overlooking the Pacific Ocean to take a chance at starting my own business…having to survive the first few months collecting unemployment. Nothing made me more proud than being about to cancel that assistance altogether after only a few months.

I think that all changed once a baby came into the picture.

Now no longer was it easy to live on a paycheck that comes only every few months or so, no matter how giant that check might be. Now it was no longer possible to expect a quiet office whenever I felt like working. Nor was it possible to burn the midnight oil all night and expect to watch a toddler all the next day. I was stressed all over again, the same feeling I had leaving my good salaried position in Downtown. The “E-Myth” book was right to a certain degree…I started feeling like I didn’t own my own business but that I just owned another job just the same as the one I left.

Running my own business full time was a lifestyle. One that I couldn’t keep up despite my best efforts. It was at this point where my friend’s offer to take an available position at the State became a viable option. It wasn’t an easy decision because there was just so much to love about my business…it felt like a child to me, one that I couldn’t leave.

I took the position and I luckily soon found out I have a good boss that lets me make my own choices. Flexible enough to work around my projects for Lowe Studio.  It’s about the best situation I can ask for that lets me have my cake and eat it too.

So THAT’s the secret to happiness that I personally discovered when it comes to work….find a way to get a regular paycheck and get a good boss so you don’t have to deal with the stress of it all. Then you can spend 21 paid vacation days basking in the sun not worrying about the project you have left on back on your desk. (photo cred: MysmoothieBusiness)