7 Great Reasons To Be An Entrepeneur Even In This "Un-Economy"

As a new entrepeneur, you can't help but find streams of articles telling you why your new business venture is going to fail, especially in this economy, now affectionately referred to as "un-economy." 

Indeed, there are thousands of words in print heckling you to "get real."  Since I've read most of them (no, I'm not a masochist), I thought I would share a list of reasons why you do want to start your own business.  Here you go:

1.  Independence. There's nothing like waking up in the morning and deciding how to set your own agenda.  I did the corporate thing - several times.  My opinion:  there is no such thing as an "emergency" meeting.  I always found that utterly ridiculous.  Emergency, to me, meant someone was simply a bad planner.  So, if I have an emergency-anything, it's because my dogs need to go outside.

2.  Flexibility.  No, I'm not talking about the yoga kind of flexibility - I definitely don't have that.  If you want to schedule a meeting with someone, you do it with full knowledge of your schedule.  You own it.  Not someone else.  By the way, Tungle Me is a really cool technology resource for appointments.  It's also free.

3.  Culture.  This is my favorite part.  I worked for cool companies before, don't get me wrong.  But, culture is the essence of any well-run business.  You decide what's important to your business and how you want to treat people. 

4.  Vision.  Maybe this is where most new companies fail.  I'm not sure.  I do know that having a well-defined vision sets the pace for all activities.  Before I started Tutor Doctor, I read The Answer.  It's a phenomenal book that makes a lot of sense.  If you know you want to go to Las Vegas, you don't just start driving.  You plot your course to Las Vegas.  It's the same thing with a business.

5.  Connections.  I've met some of the coolest people in Orange County.  I never would have crossed paths with them before.  What I realize is most people truly want to help each other. 

6.  Control.  You are the nucleus for all activity related to your business.  It's your decision.  Period.  No puppet and no strings.  It's fantastic!

7.  Satisfaction Guaranteed.  Look, every day, I find something I could have done better.  It's in my DNA.  But, every night, I lay my head on the pillow and reflect on what amazing things we've done.  We get to help people every day. 

Running your own business is hard.  There's no question.  It's also easy to focus on what's not working or what's not going well.  But, take a step back for a second.  Look at all the reasons to celebrate. 

Here's a personal example.  We were working really hard to get insurance for a huge event.  If we didn't get it, we couldn't participate.  It was going to be a big lost opportunity.  As my frustration was hitting a peak, I decided to change my perspective.  (When my students in college got frustrated, I made them stand on their chairs to change their perspectives.)  So, I stood on the kitchen table.  My kids weren't home - thankfully.  The "do as I say" adage would have come in handy. 

In any event, during my "break," I received an email from one of our clients.  She had returned home.  She called us in July to ask us for help.  Her daughter received a letter informing her that she was not going to pass 7th grade if she didn't re-take and pass her math exam.  Her mom, a very successful entrepeneur, knew she couldn't do the tutoring.  (My kids have tutors and I run a tutoring business, so I related well.)  She wanted intensive tutoring for her daughter and only gave us 3 weeks to make it happen.  We took the job knowing the responsibility as well as consequences.  The email informed us that not only did she increase her exam score by over 15 points, she now understands the math material and feels confident going into 8th grade math.  All of those awesome benefits with only 24 hours of tutoring.

The email was cause for celebration.  So, when my daughter got home, the only other chocoholic in the house, we went to Sundried Tomato and ate some awesome chocolate cake.  As a new business owner, you can't skimp on the celebrations, especially when you can use them as an excuse for chocolate decadence.

The bottom line:  success stories like those put things into perspective.  Being a new business owner reaps great benefits.  My advice is if you want to open your own business, go for it.  If things get rough, find a sturdy chair or table to stand on - it will make all the difference.