What do you love about being an entrepreneur? Here at MyCorp, we find that asking this kind of question to small business owners is a little like the children’s book When You Give a Mouse a Cookie. They may not immediately ask for a glass of milk afterward, but they’ll definitely have plenty to share about what drives and motivates them when it comes to their businesses!
Today is part one of our two-part series polling our network of small business owners on what they love about their business. We’ve got 75 entrepreneurs in the house, discussing all the different hats they wear, the creative energy that comes with the role, and how every day is a new adventure.
1. “It may sound selfish, but I love the fact that I get to choose all the folks that I employ. I spent so many years in the corporate world having to work with a lot of personalities that did not share my work ethic or passion for whatever task was at hand. It’s such a great feeling to be able to work with individuals who are all dedicated to their craft, committed to excellence in all that they do and who genuinely care about the well-being of the team above all else. I keep telling myself that as the business grows, it may not always stay this way – but at this moment I am definitely loving it!”
– Kristy McCarley, CEO/Founder, Shazzy Fitness LLC
2. “The best part about being self employed for me is having the flexibility to be more active with my family. Though we’re always hustling as an entrepreneur looking for business growth, having that opportunity to get my kids on or off the bus and see their smiles is what true wealth is to me.”
– Mike Kawula, Self Employed King
3. “I love being an entrepreneur because of the freedom I have to call the shots, work when I want and control every aspect which gives me the knowledge to make the right decisions for my company.”
– Tanya L. See, Owner, Team See Marketing
4. “I love the fact that while my friends are complaining about their jobs every waking minute of the day, I can smile and react with a wry grin, knowing I’m in control of my own destiny. I know that every second of work I put in goes towards benefiting me not a fat cat boss or faceless corporation. I love being an entrepreneur because essentially I enjoy every day I’m also in complete control!”
– Nick Whitmore, Managing Director, ContentWriting.org
5. “What I love being about an entrepreneur is the ability to make the decisions. The success or failure of the company is up to me. The flexibility to work from anywhere is my greatest love – I love to switch from my MacBook Air to my iPhone to my iPad.”
– Nathan Amaral, Nathan Amaral International
6. “The story. My job is basically to tell a story, and as such, I get to decide the story of the world. I love it!”
– Ari Isaacs, CEO, ShapeDo
7. “What I love about being an entrepreneur is the feeling of fulfillment that comes with living a lifestyle devoted to self reliance. I believe it there is nothing more noble then a man who not only creates opportunity for himself but in the process inevitably creates opportunities for others.”
– Moe Rock, CEO and Founder, NowHipHop Radio/Magazine
8. “The thing I truly love most about being an entrepreneur is the freedom to work where I want, with who I want, and when I want. After being told when to come in, when to leave, when to take lunch, etc., for 15 years, having this freedom has helped change my life for the better.”
– Chike Uzoka, Founder, Valentine Global, LLC
9. “The thing I love the most about being and entrepreneur is the opportunity to wake up and make someone realize a dream come true or make somebody excited to see another day filled with opportunities to be happy!”
– June Archer, President & CEO, Eleven28 Entertainment
10. “It’s hard not to love every day, because I am so passionate about what I do. If I had to pick the one thing I love most about being an entrepreneur, it would be seeing something you imagined transformed into something in the real world. Last week I finally got to look at the video clip we made. I had imagined the characters, the plot, the everything, and now, here it was in front of me. Not only that, I have had dozens of girls and women come to me and tell me I am just like Purple. Or I am just like Nine. I even had one teacher tell me that 2 of her students are exactly like Purple and Nine! It’s so gratifying to create something that not only I love, but that people around the world love.”
– Rebecca Rachmany , Gangly Sister LLC
11. “It may sound unique but I love having the ability to break the rules for my clients. If I see an opportunity, I’m not hindered by policies I did not set. I take calculated chances and keep my clients satisfied! It means a lot to me (and to my clients) when I can make decisions on the spot that benefit both of us, as opposed to being caught in a web of policies that often outdate the company and no longer work.”
– Patricia Nixon, CEO, Nixon Virtual Strategies
12. “I love the challenge and freedom of trying to figure things out based on the goals I’ve set, the pace since it’s typically fast and working with a small team.”
– Michael Flanigan, Co-Founder, Covello LLC
13. “I love the autonomy, flexibility and the fact that I know every day the impact that I have on my business. When I worked in corporate America I always felt the ball would roll with or without me, that if I got hit by a bus someone new would be in my office right away. Now my DNA is in everything we do and I can trace every decision and sale to something I did or a decision I made and that is incredibly gratifying and fulfilling.”
– Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
14. “For me, entrepreneurship is an opportunity to practice creative freedom. When you run your own company, you can solve problems unconventionally and truly figure out what it means to think outside the box. You learn a lot about your own risk tolerance, creative capabilities and your ability to adapt in an ever-changing marketplace.”
– Zhanna Hamilton, Founder and CEO, Inspired By English
15. “I love not knowing what tomorrow will bring, wearing lots of hats, and the flexibility – basically, I get to gamble for a living!”
– Jeanne Beatrice, Owner, JeanneBeatrice.com
16. “The best part of running my own company is the amount of time it allows me to spend with my family. Every morning I see my kids off to school and I am here when they get back. I am home for every holiday (unlike when I was an assistant grocery store manager) and I can plan special day time outings with the family during the summer. Having my own business certainly has it challenges but allowing me to create a lifetime of memories with my family is a blessing that my own parents did not know.”
– John Olson, CEO, Graystone Industries
17. “After working for other people for way too long and allowing them to control my job security, it is wonderful to finally be in control of my own future. It is gratifying to be able to make my own decisions about how to run my company, knowing that its success or failure depends on my choices.”
– Ty Prewitt, President, BellaTEX Stage Curtains
18. “I love being able to make all the decisions regarding my business: goals, finances, marketing, everything. I also love the flexibility of owning my own business, being able to schedule my business around my life and family priorities.”
– Kimberlee Bush, Owner, Evergreene Graphics
19. “Here are the top 3 reasons why I love being an entrepreneur: 1) Priorities – being an entrepreneur allows me keep my priorities in tact. I don’t have to compromise the things I believe to be important because my employer has different priorities or different expectations. 2) Presence – being an entrepreneur allows me to be more involved with my family. I work from home so I get to see my kids, volunteer at school, coach their teams, and be there to help my wife raise our kids. I’ve been blessed to coach my 5 kids in a combined 40 youth sports teams. I would never have been able to do this if I had a regular job. 3) Flexibility – being an entrepreneur gives me the flexibility to make decisions about my business and life that I could not make if I was an employee.”
– Scott Hill, William & Hill
20. “We get to hang out with entrepreneurs all day and work with them on their financial and tax issues. Some of these entrepreneurs have become wildly successful. We like to think we helped them along the way. What’s not to love about this!”
– Thomas F. Scanlon, CPA, CFP(r) President, Borgida & Company
21. “Small business owners are in total control of their marketing plan. They live or die with the products or services that they chose to deliver. Every time we create and introduce a new product, I am overcome with excitement and joy!”
– Bob Shirilla, Owner, Custom Bags
22. “My brother and I LOVE being entrepreneurs! From our experience on ABC’s Shark Tank we have were able to meet a number of small business entrepreneurs who are working hard to achieve their dreams too. One of my favorite aspects of being an entrepreneur is the support network you have with fellow entrepreneurs! I love being a part of this community and working together with others who are on a mission to grow their business and support their customers and fellow entrepreneurs. Berry and I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing community! I would also say I love being extremely hands on with my customers. They are what make our business successful! I hope we can continue to stay close with them as we grow our business!”
– Betsy Johnson, SwimZip
23. “Every business has its challenges, when your business partner is your wife that can make it at times more challenging. We beat the challenges with our attitude. We have grown as a stronger couple in marriage for being in business together for 26 years now and married 32 years. When you share your challenges and see the successes that you accomplish together it is so rewarding as a couple.”
– Tim and Tracey Kerin, Learning Lessons in Business Inc.
24. “Cheek’d has been the most powerful thing that’s ever happened to me. Building this business has been an incredible learning experience. I’ve taken a major risk (both financially & mentally) and surrendered my 15 year career in architecture & design, but my heart and mind are in this project every waking moment. I’ve never been more dedicated to anything. Despite the occasional overwhelming stress, it’s been loads of fun. I feel like I’m living the American Dream—I’ve given birth to an invention. I’m an architect turned entrepreneur and I’m no longer building structures. I’m now building relationships. I’ve built a brand and a company and thousands of people are using the service all over the world. It’s the most rewarding feeling!”
– Lori Cheek, Founder/ CEO, Cheek’d
25. “I actually kind of like being a media whore, which I find to be essential in running a small business.”
– Steve Silberberg, Owner, Fitpacking
26. “The best part of being an entrepreneur for me is the chance to homeschool my kids and live my passion at the same time.”
– Kira Shcherbakova, Christian Singer
27. “I love how you are able to grow and evolve as an entrepreneur. As you learn more about yourself, your audience and your craft, you are able to flow and be creative with the direction of the business. Your business can look very different a year from now and entrepreneurship allows that.”
– Emily Kristofferson, Online Marketing + Launch Strategist
28. “My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is ownership. I love getting up every day and working on projects that I own and built from the ground up myself. There’s a satisfaction in that that you can never find working on someone else’s ideas.”
– Jonathan Weber, Founder, Marathon Studios Inc.
29. “What do I love most? That my job is kissing my husband and writing about it one kiss at a time to spread love around the world! What could be more fabulous? We’re already booked for several public kisses this Valentine’s day in Chicago, people seem to love what we do, so it’s an absolute pleasure to write and speak about it.”
– Tara Myers, Kissing Tour
30. “Being an entrepreneur for the past 24 years has allowed me to gain strength in the ability to make choices without limiting my creative ability in the art of doing business.”
– Antreina E. Stone, Antreina’s Earrings
31. “What I love most about being self-employed is the flexibility and variety of each day. I set my own hours, and decide how much I want to work. Having multiple careers, each day draws on really different skill sets, and no two days are shaped the same.”
– Christine Malec, massage therapist, copy editor/transcriber, writer
32. “I get to come alongside other professionals to empower them, fully tap into existing resources and watch great things being released from them. As a result they are able to take their company to an optimal level and gain even more growth and stand out. It’s truly a dream job!”
– Barbara Gustavson, Owner, Discover Next Step
33. “I love being able to work from our rural farm, and the fact that I am now to mentor and cheer on others who want to start their own businesses. I get to show that even us older, low-tech people can make it happen!”
– Katy Kassian, Owner, Buffalo Gals Mercantile
34. Every day is the day I choose for it to be. I especially like that every idea I have is NOT ended by anyone but me; it allows me to explore relationships and opportunities with almost complete freedom. This excels in the research I do in the field I am in; it also delights me with new and unexpected opportunities in marketing which appear on the horizon virtually daily.”
– Margo Benge, dba Miracles
35. “I love being able to take an idea from conception to reality without roadblocks. I own the process for better or worse, and that creative freedom is a huge responsibility but extremely exhilarating.”
– Karen Swim, PR and Marketing Communications Professional
36. “Entrepreneurship means never being bored. There is no hiding when you own it. You are not only responsible, but accountable. That accountability is strangely calming. I love the freedom to change directions if what we are doing no longer makes sense. Building is such a creative process. You spill good design onto blank paper and then use good management to put that design into physical form, not unlike building a physical building.”
– Kate McKeon, President, Prepwise
37. “The odd hours allow me to optimize strategy sessions rather than wait for the standard work hours that don’t at all inspire. Working without regard to what I am wearing creates an incredibly functional atmosphere for writing, following up, developing concepts and connecting the collaborative dots with potential sponsors or partners in mind. Being able to have music during breaks to refresh my mindset and go into a real kitchen and prepare a healthy lunch is great as opposed to eating out at expensive restaurants or, worse, affordable foods that make me feel sluggish and don’t support positive work performance. I love the confidence that comes with it – when I have taken strategy from theory to actualized events with measurable success it further enforces a positive experience to my clients and deepens my passion with pitching and creating future projects. I love being able to work on multiple, multi tiered projects, often of my own design, and collaborate, build, manage, implement and follow up. I also love ensuring clients treat and respect myself and teams I put together for projects. As an independent brand I am able to really enforce policies that ensure I feel good, safe, respected and appropriately treated at all times, and those who work with me on a per project basis.”
– Kahshanna Evans, Founder and Director of Public Relations, Kissing Lions Public Relations
38. “The part I love most is turning idea into implementation: whittling down the brainstorm, piecing the action plan puzzle, and connecting the right people to carry on.”
– Dodie Jacobi, small business mentor and entrepreneur
39. “To me, the best thing about being an entrepreneur is having an operation that’s your own: you get to decide what the business is all about and you sink or swim by your own efforts. You’re 100 percent accountable which is extraordinarily empowering.”
– Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates
40. “What do I love about being an entrepreneur? Learning. And implementing what I’ve learned. Studying and learning skills I didn’t have when I started my business has made my life fresh and new.”
– Kathy Steck, CEO, DinerWear LLC
41. “Being an entrepreneur is an amazingly intense experience, not for the light hearted. Every decision and action I take directly impacts my company and the customers we serve, which makes every day an exciting adventure.”
– Andrew Stroup, Co-Founder/CEO, CommonKey
42. “There are so many things to love about entrepreneurship. The one that truly sticks out to me is I get as much as I put in.”
– Jennifer Kelly, Silver Ring Candles
43. “As much as people will tell you all about the uncertainty surrounding owning and running your own business, they are fundamentally wrong. Companies are downsizing, benefits are shrinking and pensions are disappearing. As an entrepreneur, I love that it’s on me. Whether I succeed or fail is based on whether or not I have a good idea and whether or not I can implement it. It’s on me. And I love it.”
– Mike Tanner, OneRedCat
44. “What I love about being an entrepreneur is that I can wake up in the morning in charge of what I do, what ideas I want to pursue and how much effort I put into those ideas. It’s all about the freedom and I think that’s what makes me a successful entrepreneur.”
– Teajai Annique Kimsey, Annique’s Nook
45. “I love having the freedom and creativity to implement decisions and solutions as an entrepreneur that give me the opportunity to change an industry, market or even the world.”
– Jeet Banerjee, JB Media Force
46. “My favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is being able to put my mission focus at the very core of my business, while also doing what I love. As a female CEO, I am a very loud and visible supporter of redefining Wall Street and making it a place that includes women, their needs, their questions, their goals and caters to all of the above. I aim to show women that Wall Street is our street, too. I want to inspire more women and girls to consider finance as a career. My hope is that they see me and think, If she can do it, I can do it too.”
– Elle Kaplan, CEO & Founding Partner, LexION Capital Management LLC
47. “Having been an entrepreneur for 29 years, I love the fact that I have to continue to grow, the creativity needed to succeed, and the continuous belief in my company and myself.”
– Jeffrey R. Percival, Chief Bottle Washer, Percival Enterprises %
48. “Being an entrepreneur allows me to control who I work with and how I work with them. If I find clients I don’t enjoy or a product or service I don’t enjoy selling, I change my goals and my approach and find a way to reach out to people I do enjoy working with. When I look back over my history, its amazing how things have changed, and its all based on who I am at the moment and what I enjoy doing in that time frame. You can’t do that with a job.”
– Lori Osterberg, Co Founder/President, Vision Business Concepts Inc.
49. “The one thing I love the absolute most about being an entrepreneur and working with my husband whom I hired to join my corporation is that we can take our business anywhere anytime. We travel on the road and we can choose to go sight-seeing all day and then work all evening. Total freedom of lifestyle and flexibility is what we enjoy the most and believe anyone can achieve that with the right vision and mindset.”
– Farnoosh Brock, President & Founder, Prolific Living Inc.
50. “As corny as this sounds, I love the fact that I found a true purpose for my life. I graduated with a business degree from Grambling State University in 2001, two months after September 11th. The job market was hectic, so I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door to make ends meet. A year later, I became an insurance agent. This career lasted for eight years, and I wasn’t satisfied with the direction my career was headed. During this period, a few negative events happened that changed my life forever. I left the insurance business, and I started teaching anger management. The past three years have been great, my practice has grown. I work with a lot of business men and women that have anger issue on both a personal and professional level.”
– Ricky Williams, CAMF, Life Changes Learning Center
51. “What I love? The challenge of new possibilities daily.”
– Lewis Harrison, How To Solve Any Problem
52. “I control my own destiny. The more effort I put into my business, the more I succeed. It¹s all depends on me not a coworker or my boss. I love being able to make my own decisions. It’s also nice to set my own hours and not have to answer to anyone except myself.”
– Stacy Rybchin, My Secret Luxury
53. “The thing I like most about owning my own business other than the freedom, is the ability to be a success. I try to be the best at what I do. I demand the best from the people who work for me and when I see the results of that and realizing that my company is the best of the best – it’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
– Alan Katz, President, Great Officiants
54. “The thing I love most about being an entrepreneur is the variety. If I was stuck doing the same job week in and week out, I’d go crazy. As an entrepreneur, I can decide what to work on and what to delegate (and change things up when I need to).”
– Tyler Young, Principal Consultant, Conversion Insights
55. “The best part of being an entrepreneur is the suspense and adrenaline rush by overcoming the challenges. I remember that by the time I placed my first production order, I only had about 10K left in the bank, barely covering the down payment and with a lot of bills to pay on monthly basis. When the pre-sale raised 50K in a few weeks, I took my first breath. This is better than a roller coaster!”
– Priska Diaz, Founder & CEO, Bittylab, LLC
56. “I love that I can create an idea and use it to my advantage. I love that I have been able to find a product that answers many questions and then get the ball rolling on my own terms. Is it easy? Is it cheap? No, but I am having a great time meeting new people, opening new doors and excited to see what my first trade show has for my future.”
– Julie Skirvin, CEO/President, The Candle Scoop
57. “I love knowing that everyday I am helping Americans across the country live happier, healthier, pain-free lives. And being able to set my schedule isn’t bad either!”
– Kim MacKenzie, President, The Body Archer
58. “Having an online shop is great. You work your own hours and don’t need any employees to run anything. That is what l love most about my job.”
– Nicole Clark, Owner, LadyFry
59. “The best thing about being an entrepreneur is the ability to pivot quickly when I identify market needs. If I notice clients asking me for the same off-the-menu services, I can post new site copy and offer that service officially the very next day. If I worked for someone else’s business, I’d have spend weeks (if not months) convincing committees why the change is important and weaving through red tape to try to make it happen.”
– Sarah Kolb-Williams, Editor and Editorial Consultant, Sarah Kolb-Williams Writing and Editing
60. “I love that I can choose to work with amazing people to help grow our company. It is so much fun to go to work every day with friends in the office all working toward a common goal. When everybody in the office is excited to come into work every day, it makes getting work done much easier.”
– Philip Lang, Co-Founder, Suitey
61. “The process of creation – the birthing of an idea and the ability to take that and running with it. Putting together the brand, the marketing strategy, getting people excited, finding clients, getting the right people to run it, etc. Entrepreneurs are artists whose creativity cannot be stifled. We must create and have unique abilities to do so regardless of economic conditions, competitive forces and naysayers. I found that working for someone else simply doesn’t allow me to fully express all of those talents and by being in charge and having the opportunity to work with all parts of the organization I can continue to express and grow.”
– Allen Vaysberg, Founder & CEO, School of Human Potential, SHP Radio, SHP Press
62. “Every day is an adventure. Projects succeed. Projects fail. New opportunities blow in on the wind. New ideas ebb and flow. There is rarely a dull moment. Every success is significant. When your successes come from your ideas, your ability to execute and from the people you choose to work with, every success, whether it is small or large feels mighty fine.”
– Tron Jordheim, CMO, StorageMart
63. “As an entrepreneur my greatest love has been to find a business opportunity and grow it into a thriving business. I find the early part of that growth process the most satisfying, designing the systems, creating and executing the plans and sharing in my employees accomplishments.”
– Joe Geiger, Entrepreneurial Success
64. “I was sitting in a room with twelve other business professionals when we were asked where we want to be in three years. The woman sitting next to me said in three years she will be 63, and I said in three years, I will be 23. As an entrepreneur, especially starting so young, I have the ability to move forward in society and make a difference around the world, an opportunity large corporations cannot provide.”
– Michael McCoy, Lead Headshot Photographer, MP Studios Tampa, MP Studios LLC.
65. “I love being able to help my clients achieve their goals faster, and working for myself means I can be more flexible, efficient, and creative when it comes to achieving goals.”
– Julie Melillo, Life Coaching
66. “The most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur – and the scariest – is that it really is all up to you. Want to work a 4 day work week, but 15 hours a day? Go for it. Think you deserve a day off on Tuesday? Go for it (but remember your competition is probably working). By being in charge of your own company, you can really find out the truth about how great of a worker you are.”
– Flynn Zaiger, CEO, Online Optimism
67. “I love publishing RedHot40, the online news magazine for the vivacious 40+ woman. We want our celebrity gossip right next to our mammogram information. We also want dating tips because not all of us are married!”
– Bree Hartel, Publisher, RedHot40.com
68. “I love the opportunity to represent how the Armed Forces led to both an education and the opportunity to transfer my skills to being a private small business owner. It is extremely rewarding to reinvest in the individuals who support my vision for success and provide them with the experience to reach their own professional goals. It also allows me to give back to my military community and act as a mentor to other women looking to transition into being their own boss and support their children’s futures.”
– Tabatha Turman, Army military veteran and Founder & CEO, IFAS, LLC
69. “Being an entrepreneur allows me to focus my creative energy in whatever manner I choose. I’m not limited by a boss, time-consuming meetings, company policy, business hours or any other obstacles. Instead, I have the opportunity to experiment, pursue success, and learn from my mistakes. Who could ask for more?”
– Josh Waldron, Founder, Studio JWAL LLC.
70. “I love the freedom that comes with being a small business owner. There is nothing better than knowing that if something comes up, I can rush to be with my family.”
– Andrew HaHa Ross, Special Needs Swim Specialist, Sensory Swim International
71. “What I love most about being an entrepreneur is how much my hard work, passion and drive has such an incredibly positive impact on my two children and their views of not only me as their mom, but as a woman who is an example of how all of these characteristics can lead to a very successful business.”
– Britt Menzies, Author, StinkyKids LLC
72. “I love helping people clear the negativity and fear about being in business from their lives so they can enjoy being who they are and attract the right clients.”
– Jenn August, Business Hypnotherapist and Success Coach
73. “What I love most is that I get to bring my own ideas to fruition, and then see them in action when other people use them to launch and promote their own ideas.”
– Jim Infantino, Founder, Slabmedia
74. “I love creating the business and helping it grow. For me, my business is like my child.”
– Kevin Schumacher, Founding Member – CEO, Straight Up Southern, LLC
75. “We love operating a business devoted to love, and as husband and wife co-founders, working with the one we love while promoting love here at YourNovel.com. For more than 20 years we have been putting any couple between the pages of their own personalized romance novel. So while Valentine’s Day is especially important for our company, we are all about promoting love year-round.”
– Kathy Newbern, Freelance, YourNovel.com
Ready to feel the love as the owner of your own business? Leave a comment below, or give us a call at 1-877-692-6772!