Not Everyone Wants to Sell T-Shirts: Why 9-5 Slander Needs to Stop

I got up from the barstool ."Alright, I'm out of here guys" I said as I dug for my keys in my purse. "Why are you leaving, it's still early?" someone from the group asked. "I have to get up for work tomorrow"  I replied. He laughs, turns to me and says "Damn, you're a slave." I then sharply reminded him that it was my 9-5 money that donated to his "Go-Fund me" to help him start his print on demand business. Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with selling t-shirts but the common arrogance and amnesia that comes with some entrepreneurs is exhausting and needs to stop. 

First of all, not everyone wants to run a business and that's okay 

A business takes a lot of investment in time, money, and takes a lot of risk with no guarantee of success. Not everyone is willing to do that. It's not practical for everyone's dreams. For example, some people have dreams to spend most of their time with family. As a result, they've chosen careers with the flexibility to do that. They don't want to constantly be away on business or donate energy to something that isn't their true dream.  

Not everyone has the qualities to be a boss. 

You have to be cognizant of whose business you patronize. Some people go into business for themselves not because their passionate about what they do, they just don't like authority. They do not like having to answer to anyone. A lot of times that shows up in their customer service skills. They don't care if the customer is happy or care about improvement because they "Still got paid", not realizing that your customers are the ones who can put you out of business (fire you) because they are the ones you have to answer to.  There's no success without customer loyalty and that takes even more effort to create than working for someone else. That's why a lot of pyramid schemes are so successful because they successfully market to the people who hate answering to others and for a "small fee" they promise to make you your "own boss" whilst needing the very people they put down to become successful. 

One day you will need people working for you 

Be careful putting down people who work for others because you are going to need help with your business one day too. You will reach a point where you will need an assistant, someone to cover for you when you're sick, and someone to assist you to expand. Do not demean those vital, prolific people by saying they only make their boss's dreams come true because what does that say about you?  A lot of people love being a part of a successful team and having others to work with. Their 9-5 is fulfilling for them. Your consumers that put money into your business have 9-5''s. Not everyone can be the boss nor wants the responsibility and that is perfectly okay. 

You can own a business while still working a 9-5 

I worked with someone who made a nice salary at our job AND had a lucrative wine business. They believed in always having more than one income and also using their 9-5 as an investment. They said that their business wouldn't be where it was without their 9-5 because they were their only investors for a long time. They enjoy having the best of both worlds. 

In conclusion, entrepreneurship can be a beautiful thing but in reality, it is not for everyone nor is it everyone's dream and that is okay. It does not mean that those who work 9-5's won't be successful nor have financial freedom. Their set schedule and stability are conducive to their goals and the point in life is to be fulfilled. I know the guy in the yacht yelling at you and telling you that you're wasting your life going to work every day says otherwise but the reality is the people they demean are the people who can tear down their empire. It cost to be a boss. So be kind, open-minded, and understanding.