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The Pros and Cons of Becoming an Entrepreneur

The good, the bad, and the butt-ass ugly

By Rick MartinezPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash

As I write this, Elon Musk is about to buy Twitter.

And once again, the beauty of striking out on your own and starting your business or freelance gig is a hot topic. It's front-page news. And maybe you're considering making the leap.

But before you do, you have to know that there are as many drawbacks as bright points.

Most things in life come with pros and cons.

Buying a home...

Getting married (damn, I hope my wife doesn't read this)...

Going to college...

Leasing a car vs. buying one...

This is even more true when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Over the years, the drive to transition from the desk jockey life to living an entrepreneurial life has become more popular. But unfortunately, social media makes it easy to share a life that may not be entirely true.

So before you buy into the hype, let's chat up a few good and bad reasons for becoming an entrepreneur.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not just blowing smoke. I made the leap myself.

But I digress...

Pro: Flexibility and control

Yeah, you get this in spades.

You get to call the shots, make your schedule, sleep in or stay up late. Being an entrepreneur means you get to control your day-to-day life and schedule. This means you can create the life you want with flexibility.

However, you must be sure you pick the right business idea to get this lifestyle.

For example, working with clients one-on-one, you can't expect too much flexibility and control.

Feel me?

Con: It's risky AF and requires responsibility

All business is a risk, and starting on your own is too.

When you are an entrepreneur, every decision you make is up to you. In other words, it is your responsibility if it fails or succeeds.

The buck stops with you, baby.

Pro: It's highly rewarding

While responsibility can come with stress, it can also lead to more rewards as you know the work you did and created is why you are successful in the first place.

This can build confidence and create even more satisfaction for you and value for your clients or customers.

Con: It's uber-competitive

All business is competitive, and that is a good thing.

However, competition can also create stress and make it hard to stand out.

This is why it's critical to use all of that energy towards developing a strategy to improve your products and services so that your target audience isn't even aware of your competition. If you allow rivalry to get the best of you, you will not be successful.

Pro: You get to pursue your passions

Entrepreneurship is about turning your passions or things you love the most into a profitable business.

Point blank.

The more passion you feel about your startup, the more likely you will succeed. This is because you understand the concept or idea and your target audience better than anyone else. You know precisely what they need because it's something you needed it too.

Con: It's sometimes like riding a roller coaster from hell

Every day of your business will be different and full of ups and downs.

Some will be low energy, while others may be high or extremely high. Trust me, the highs are high af, and the lows make you question your very existence. This is enough for some folks with weak stomachs to pull you back into the 9-5 world.

But for others, it's the fuel that lights the fire to success.

The final word

Entrepreneurship definitely comes with its share of pros and cons.

Before making the leap, it's essential to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. The good news is that if you do your research and have a solid game plan in place, most of the negative aspects can be minimized. Freedom and flexibility do not come without work, no matter how glamorous social media may make entrepreneurship look.

And don't forget, the rewards can be significant.

So what do you think? Are the pros of entrepreneurship outweighing the cons for you? Or are you going to stay put in your current situation?

Discover in less than two minutes if it's time to finally quit your job.

Grab the Quit Your Job Checklist here...

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About the Creator

Rick Martinez

I help CEOs & entrepreneurs write & publish books that give them authority & legacy | Bestselling author | Former CEO turned ghostwriter |

California born, Texas raised.

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