I’ve been running a business for a long, long time now. Almost 14 years to be exact and I’ve worked with hundreds of different types of entrepreneurs in all stages of business along the way. One thing that they have in common is that they have all said to me, “entrepreneurship is a lot more work than I thought.” Yes, it is. So today, I thought I would pull back the curtain on all those half-truths and misconceptions about being an entrepreneur that I have heard along the way.

1. It’s EASY! It’s a SHIT TON of work. If you think having a 9 to 5 is a lot of work, being a business owner is easily double. Some days work never ends, clients have demands, and no one tells you when you go to open your LLC that you are the CEO, the CMO, the sales person, the customer service rep, the ops manager, and HR. YUP, it’s a shit ton of work.
2. You will have endless amounts of freedom! Yes, you definitely have more freedom, but work still has to get done, clients still have to be served, and bills still have to be paid. Yes, you may be able to jump out in the middle of the day to take that BARRE class, but if you want to succeed you will HAVE to dedicate a whole bunch of time to getting your business off of the ground, especially in the first few years. Owning a business is a never ending cycle of bringing on clients, serving clients, and growing your business.
3. Build a website and the business will come. Another HUGE LIE the media and people have sold you on. I have heard countless clients having these wild expectations that once their website goes live the dough will start rolling in. Hey folks, reality check, you need to get some people to actually go to that site and then once they do, you have to show value. Then maybe they will buy.
4. Follow your passions! Yes, I truly believe you should start a business around your passions, but that doesn’t mean that there is actually a need for it in the business world. Do your homework. I’ve seen so many businesses start and fail because they didn’t do their homework to test the market.
5. I can just hire help. Sure you can if you have unlimited funds, but guess what? No one will be more passionate and committed to your business than you are.
6. I sit on facebook all day long. Ha, I wish. Nope. I’m busy over here building out client strategies, writing proposals, talking to prospects, and growing my brand. I’ve got 15 messages to respond to on facebook because yes it helps me grow my business.
7. My blog/video/instagram will go viral. On the contrary. In most instances, it is a TON of work. The people you see who go viral have spent years in most cases producing content and then magically they hit the jackpot formula for something to go viral.
8. I will be successful because I bought (insert popular internet program) and they mapped it out for me. I am all for learning and hiring a coach, but I will let you in on a little secret, no one is going to do the work for you. There is no one to delegate it to. You have to put in the time, you have to do the implementation, and you have to learn what works for you and your business.
9. You will get tons of support. Sure, out of the gate you will, but in most instances that support of friends and family will fade. The struggles you face on a day to day basis will be different than many of your non-entrepreneurial friends.
10. Every day is amazing because you are your own boss! WRONG! There will be days you want to give up. Yes, it happens. Yes, it’s hard. Stick with it.

But let me tell you, becoming an entrepreneur for me (much like motherhood) is hands down one of the most rewarding, challenging, and fulfilling things I have ever taken on in my entire life. After all this time, entrepreneurship has given me so much. It has taught me about myself. It has made me a better human being. It has provided for me and my family. It has given me the opportunity to reach hundreds of people across the globe and hopefully thousands of people in the coming years. It has challenged me in ways that no 9 to 5 ever could. It has made me wise beyond my 33 years and has forced me out of my comfort zone. So on those days you feel like giving up, I challenge you to stay with it. Find an entrepreneurial support system that gets it. Remember, with anything you do in life there are going to be bad days, but it’s just one day. Remind yourself why you started and try again tomorrow.