I started on the journey to becoming an entrepreneur before I even knew I was on it… I don’t dispute that you need to work hard or that becoming an entrepreneur is challenging but I wasn’t about to choose those hardship stories and experiences as my reality. Nor was I going to hustle and grind for success. I didn’t want to subscribe to that narrative.
I didn't choose to become an Entrepreneur - Part 2
Hey Party People,
In Part One of this series, I shared with you the beginnings of my journey to becoming an entrepreneur and shared all the things I chose instead of that identity.
And so the journey continues...
I joined an entrepreneur group before I left my job, called Entrepreneurs Anonymous. I wanted to surround myself with other people following their dreams. At the time my dream was to become an author (which I achieved!), and I wanted more accountability and encouragement to reach that goal. The group wasn’t in direct alignment with becoming an author but there were definitely parallels including those feelings of imposter syndrome we all battle with. It was also a great opportunity to create new connections, which is never a bad thing. As it turned out there was A LOT more alignment with this group than I knew.
I had coffee with one of the women I met in this group just recently and she confirmed that others saw where I was going waaaaay before I connected the dots. Funny how that works isn’t it?
To be honest I resisted the label of becoming an entrepreneur for a long while because it’s both glorified and described as one of the hardest career paths you can take. I didn’t want to jump into something hard, I didn’t leave my 9-5 job just to struggle in a new way. And you might have similar fears.
So why did I resist this label?
Personally, I hated the narrative that being an entrepreneur had to be hard. I resisted that story, because why!? Why did it have to be hard? Why couldn’t it be different?
*imagine little Sara stomping her feet while saying these things*
This became a challenge in not just my own beliefs but the dominant societal ones that so many of us see and hear every day. Things like,
It will take years to make money in your business.
Over 20% of all businesses fall in the first year.
Owning your own business requires sacrifice.
If these were true, why would anyone choose to become an entrepreneur?
I don’t dispute that you need to work hard or that becoming an entrepreneur is challenging but I wasn’t about to choose those hardship stories and experiences as my reality. I didn’t want to subscribe to that narrative.
It became apparent very quickly that the glory of the hustle and grind was not for me. To this day it seriously rubs me the wrong way when people pedestal the hustle mentality on the road to success. In fact, society glorifies this (and at one point I did too #guilty). It becomes a badge of honour when you work hard and play hard. But you know what working hard and playing hard gets you? It gets you a fucked up nervous system. It leads to burnout. And more often than not it leads to a crash in your mental health.
These are the stories I hear about why being an entrepreneur is so hard. It’s like if you’re not working 12 -16+ hours a day, or you’re not struggling with your mental health, your new biz is destined to fail. If you don’t have time for your friends anymore, then you’re not doing it right.
Why is this the reality we revere and celebrate? We glorify this level of sacrifice on the path to success like it’s the only option we can choose. It’s become engrained in any success story we hear.
What I've achieved is a level of success that many would aspire to but I've done it a different way. I've done it by making new more aligned friendships, by taking hour-and-a-half lunch breaks, and investing in my growth along the way.
I've also tripled the size of my living space.
I reached 6-figures within 18 months of starting my business.
And I embraced a new serious relationship and live-in partner.
Oh and did I mention I've done all this by only working 5-6 hours a day?
Your story doesn't have to be one of hardship and burnout, but it can be different like mine. Now that I’m on this entrepreneurial path and fully embrace my identity as an entrepreneur I want to share my story with others and invite YOU to change the narrative with me.
Later this week I'll share more about what has been hard along this journey but for now, believe in the possibility of something different and stay tuned for Part 3!
Did you miss part one? Check it out here - I didn't choose to become an Entrepreneur.
