Be an Entrepreneur

So, you want to be an entrepreneur. Becoming your own boss, starting a business, and being financially free is the dream for so many people. It seems like such a glamorous life to not have to answer to anyone and do what you want, when you want.

I want to give you a little insight into the life of an entrepreneur so you can decide for yourself whether it’s a path you want to pursue. But why should you listen to me?

I am the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Stash It Storage, LLC., a platform for people to rent out open space in their home as storage space. It’s my first time running a company, so I’ve experienced the startup world first hand. But I’ve also started multiple side hustles (some succeeded and many failed) while working a day job. So I’ve done the entrepreneur life and am still doing it. I’m here to tell you the truth about the life.

1. You’re going to work harder than you ever have.

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you’re going to work hard. Whether the goal is a small business (or multiple), side hustles, or a large tech company, you’re going to work HARD and a lot. You’ll have to be disciplined and good at time management because things get crazy. My calendar is so full that I’ll forget things if I don’t put it in my calendar. I’m not kidding. I even forgot my own birthday this year and thought everyone was crazy, but I was the one who lost track of time.

You work hard, but you do have the luxury to set your schedule. If I need to do something, I can easily move things around. My business is also allowing me to work from anywhere so I can work on the beach if I wanted to. It’s great to do this, but you’ll have to be careful and disciplined to make sure you stay focused on your goals.

2. You’re never off the clock.

As an entrepreneur, you’re never off the clock. There’s always something you have to do. It’s not a normal job where you can go home and forget about it. I wake up at 4:30 every morning and go to bed around 11 PM (sometimes later).

You’ll be answering emails and calls all the time to ensure customers are happy or out doing things depending on what your business is.

You’ll also be responsible for so much. If you have employees, you need to make sure your payroll is set. You’re always going through budgets and making sure you have money or if you can do something to grow your business.

So be prepared to always be working, even when you’re not.

3. You’ll learn what stress really is.

I’d been stressed out at work before, but I never knew how stressful being an entrepreneur is. You’re constantly worried about money because you may not have a stable income like a normal job.

I’ve had panic attacks for the first time in my life when starting Stash-It. I got so delusional at one point that I freaked out about drinking water out of a coffee mug vs a drinking glass. It’s crazy because your sleep deprived from doing so much.

So it’s important to have a good support system to handle your stress. But be careful because this life will also put a strain on your relationships. My marriage failed really quick, partly due to me being stressed and always working to try to get a company off the ground. It’s a sacrifice that you and your significant other will need to understand.

Learn to manage your stress and ensure those important to you are on board 100 percent with you being an entrepreneur.

4. It’s extremely rewarding.

Nothing beats the excitement of creating something and being able to say you’re responsible for it. All the hours and hard work pay off. You learn so much in such a short time and really fall in love with the process.

The goal of having something your own turns into getting excited for reaching certain milestones (that’s the way it should be). You celebrate setting up a certain process or bringing in your first dollar. It’s all so rewarding.

It’s also amazing how happy you are knowing you pushed your limits and didn’t give up. It’s so easy to quit, but you’ll be one of the select individuals to overcome the odds.

5. It’s addicting.

You fall in love with the process and want to do it over and over again. You think of other areas you can replicate your process. That’s the sign of a true entrepreneur.

Money is great, but the rush of creating something and taking the risk is addicting. Understand that if you want to move on to other things, make sure your current ventures are taken care of, whether you’re a part of them or not.

That’s a quick insight into the life of an entrepreneur. I didn’t want to go into too many details because I can go on for hours on this subject. Being an entrepreneur is exciting and scary. You’ll also feel alone, but feel so supported at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a great life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I wish certain things about my personal life worked out better, but my dreams of making Stash-It successful was, and still is, too important to me. It had always been a dream to run a company.

So if you want to join this life, jump right in. Don’t wait for “the right time” because it never will be. You can also reach out to me on Twitter (@jeremyhass619) and Instagram (@jhass_ceo) if you have any questions or need any guidance to get started.