How Running My Business Has Changed My Life

Running your own business can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying things you’ll ever do.  Running your own business can also be one of the most difficult, time consuming, life consuming, and exhausting thing you’ll ever do.  For myself and I’m sure many entrepreneurs, it’s probably a little bit of both but entirely life changing.

As a child and even well into my early adult life, I was extremely shy.  I realize now that the shyness stemmed from a lot of insecurities almost to a point where it was crippling at times.  It wasn’t until my mid 20s when I started what I felt was my first real career job, did I begin to face my insecurities and begin to overcome them but it wasn’t until I started my business that my life really changed.

As shy as I was as a child, I can’t really say what gave me the courage to start my own business.  My shyness and insecurities really held me back for many years but once I started my business, I began to realize that the more I learned and knew about my industry, my business and my clients, the more confident and fearless I became.  Over time, I learned that take the confidence I had in my work and carry that through to other parts of my life making me a more confident and strong person.

Working as part of a team was never difficult for me, but running my own business and being the one in charge has taught me a lot about teamwork.  I have learned that as much as I love doing it all myself, being able to delegate and work with my team is the best way to move forward and grow.  It allows me to focus on the things I am best at and delegate things to my team that they are best at while making sure we are all working together toward a common goal.

Doing this for my business has taught me a lot about my own personality and the types of personalities that I work best with.  This has helped me build my team over the years.

One big thing I have learned from running my business is that I am ok with working hard.  I actually have learned that I enjoy working, contributing to something bigger and feeling like I have a purpose.  I enjoy working with people and helping them even in the tiny way I do.

Running my own business has brought with it opportunities that never would have happened otherwise.  When I first started my business and was based in the Philadelphia area, I had the pleasure of working on a small project for the Philadelphia Phillies!  I have also had the pleasure of meeting some of the most amazing people, made lasting friends and have had the chance to work on some really special projects.

The younger, more naive me thought being a business owner meant working when I want to, taking time off when I feel like it, and loving what I do every day.  While these things are true, I have learned that things aren’t that simple or easy so I have had to learn to prioritize the things in my life sot hat I have time for what is important.

 Running your own business can give you so much freedom.  Freedom to set your own hours, freedom to work as little or as much as you want.  The right business can all give you financial freedom.  Owning your own business can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do in your life but it can also be one of the most difficult.  Learning how to take the good with the bad, and embrace all that comes with it can be life changing.