A friend recently interviewed a guy who’d been working in a big corporate all his life.
Friend, “Are you a hard worker?”
Guy, “I haven’t taken a day off in two years.”
Friend, “Did you work weekends?”
Guy, “No…”
Friend, “Do you know that weekends are days?”
The concept of hard work is different for those working in a big corporation versus those working for themselves.
There are many sacrifices you must make in a big company, but ultimately it’s not your job to make sure payroll is met.
Your salary is magically deposited into your bank account on the 25th of the month, every month. If you apply for leave, you can take your leave and switch your phone off.
You can chill on weekends.
When you’re an entrepreneur none of the above applies. You are viscerally aware of your responsibility to meet payroll. You don’t need to apply for leave, but you can never switch off your phone.
You can play golf during the week, but there is no distinction between weekend and work days.
Maybe you’re in a corporate thinking of starting your own business. Think twice. Your concept of hard work may not gel with the entrepreneur’s definition.
If you’re not willing to work 24/7 (including weekends), you’re not ready to be an entrepreneur.
“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” Anonymous