Entrepreneurship - The Great American Myth
It has been awhile since I’ve visited these pages. There is a phrase: “to return to a familiar place to discover the ways in which you yourself have changed.” These past 6 months have been interesting - in the same way that, when asking the attributes of a blind date that has just been arranged, the reply is, “They have a good personality.” At the end of it all, I am happy and grateful for where I have landed - no longer in charge of running and operating a real estate office. To be sure, it has been a huge learning experience - and I don’t regret it for an instant. However, I am so glad to have that “out of my system” (at least for the time being). Now I am able to focus on the things I love doing most: working with clients, building relationships and making deals happen.
What has been most interesting is how many previous small business owners have since admitted to me that they are much happier being rid of their businesses! Our culture creates this myth that owning your own business is the ultimate scenario. This seems to be the best-kept secret in America: most small business owners work harder only to make less. The book The E-Myth by Michael Gerber says ”just because you love to bake does NOT mean you should open a bakery.”
Owning a business is about the business of running a business - and the actual product doesn’t really matter that much. The problem does not lie with owning and running a business. For those willing and able, the myth is true. Owning a business can be a terrific way to become financially independent. I am probably stating the painfully obvious: being a good craftsman has little to do with being a happy business owner. For a great read on this subject, I cannot do better than to recommend my friend Barry Moltz’s fine book You Need To Be A Little Crazy. (www.barrymoltz.com )
“All Things With Exuberance!”
mary!
