3 Reasons Why You Should Not Become An Entrepreneur
The Sad, Depressed and Vulnerable Side Of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is hard. Really hard. I mean really, really, really hard. That’s one reason you don’t see many people trying their hands on entrepreneurship out there. Had it been easy, everyone would be an entrepreneur. But it’s not easy, it is hard.
Not everyone believes it though. ‘It’s cool’ they say.
“You’re lucky to be doing what you do and you do cool things” is something you’d get to listen to when you tell them you’re an entrepreneur. “You must make a lot of money and the freedom of course is so cool” is another one.
You can’t really blame people. Magazines, articles and Instagram videos make entrepreneurship look like the most amazing thing in the world. But trust me it isn’t.
Being an entrepreneur is difficult. It is the hardest thing you will ever do. Nothing will make you worry, slog, grill or cry as much as entrepreneurship will. And I say this with 7 years of experience as an entrepreneur.
And do you want to know why I’m saying this? Well here are the reasons:
Entrepreneurship demands your mind, body and soul.
Unlike most things in life, where you could work, succeed or even be at the top without one of these 3 things I mentioned, entrepreneurship not only require all three, it demands these three things at a very serious level.
As an entrepreneur, your mind is always occupied thinking about all kinds of problems/ solutions, people and business. Your body is always moving, slogging around or sitting for long hours pushing its limits, even at times when everyone around is relaxing or sleeping.
And lastly, your inner self or soul (as many would want to call it) is either elevated and pushing you toward the goal or worried about all the things in the world that could go wrong. And it is the soul, that basically decides whether you will make it big or end up giving up.
I can tell you with my personal experience than your Mind, body and soul need to be in perfect harmony, if they’re not, you’ll end up being miserable.
Entrepreneurship gets you closer to ugly realities
Before starting, you’re full of confidence and super pumped up. You think you have enough knowledge to start a business and feel confident that you can handle everything that will come your way. At the same time, you also think you’re wise enough to handle people and money. Until you face some grim realities.
The moment these realities say ‘Hi’ to you, you tend to get scared and move back two steps. You try to think of a solution quickly. But if you’re not fast enough, out comes another grim reality towards you. And it can be anything, a crucial policy decision, problems in your tech or suppliers. Or even within the team.
Managing money, people and a real business with factors out of your hands is insanely difficult. It is not for everyone. You will run out of money, people will leave you, partners will backstab you, you may end up failing. And you might not be able to take it.
Honestly, most entrepreneurs are not good at handling it well. They worry they cry, they have trouble sleeping at nights. It’s just that they don’t tell anyone about it.
And that’s a fact, some of the most successful entrepreneurs don’t like to talk about the hard times they’ve been through. Because more often than not, the memories mess them up and hence they avoid thinking about them.
Entrepreneurship can kill your confidence
Entrepreneurship can destroy you as a person. And there’s only one simple reason. It’s not money. If you lose money, you can get a job and earn it back. It’s not your reputation either. If you fail, most people will appreciate and respect the fact that you tried running a business. And it’s not the spoilt relationships that a failed business may lead to. Time would heal things and those relationships may get better and even be normal again.
Entrepreneurship can destroy you because it can kill your confidence.
Confidence is the most important thing in business and if you fail, you lose confidence. And once you do, you’re half dead. You feel like you’re finished, you don’t have it in you and you doubt your capabilities. And this is an ugly recipe for depression. Which in turn can make your life even more miserable.
Many of you reading this may feel that I’m exaggerating. Trust me I’m not, I have in fact made it sound sweet. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It challenges you at every step and not everyone has what it takes to face them
However, if you feel you have it in you, especially after reading everything I’ve written so far, then by all means go ahead and give it a try. It’d be, if you ask me, a great act of bravery on your part and something you’d always be proud of. And if you really are someone smart, brave and (most importantly) lucky, you might one day make it big.
And it’ll all be worth it. It is here that I want to say entrepreneurship has a good side to it to. It can be highly rewarding and fulfilling. You can not only change lives around the world but also make a long lasting impact to make the world a better place. And of course you can change your (as well as your dear ones’) lives forever.
