1) “Being an entrepreneur gives you great independence and flexibility, but it comes with a cost of high risk and increased responsibility. Being in the CEO chair of a company puts all of the burden on me to deliver or else I’m out of business. For me though, after years in private equity and investment banking, it’s exactly what I wanted: all the responsibility on me. After understanding that, then it’s up for me to decide if I can go on an afternoon run or take a day off knowing that I don’t have a boss to blame if things go wrong.”
– Chris Good, Founder and CEO, Eventblimp
2) “Independence as an entrepreneur is as much a gift as it is a burden. You generally get to make your own hours, but at the same time you must be self-motivated, there is no one to push you but yourself. Essentially, just like in life, you get what you give.”
– David Drexler, My Coin Solution
3) “I love being an entrepreneur, the freedom of working at anytime from anywhere has opened an array of opportunity to spend more time with my kids and have a better quality of life while producing even a higher income that ever before.”
– Priska Diaz, Founder & CEO, Bittylab
4) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I can work as many hours, or days as I want as I am my own boss responsible for my company’s success. Also I can work in my pajamas!”
– Haralee Weintraub, CEO, Haralee.com – Cool Garments for Hot Women!
5) “Total creative freedom to create businesses that fulfill my passions for what I love! No one can stop me from doing things I feel are important and they cannot fire me since I own the whole company! And we made it work!!! I work when and how I want…. goodbye traditional office 9-5 structured environment and hello to freedom to work how and when I please!”
– Craig Wolfe, President, CelebriDucks, Cocoa Canard
6) “Being an entrepreneur allows me the freedom to make the decisions that I think are best for the business, including who to work with. In school you are assigned to groups and in the corporate world you are assigned to teams, but as an entrepreneur you have the freedom to choose your own team.
– Glyn Caddell, Founder, Caddell Prep LLC
7) “I’m the author of a book called The Chocolate Therapist: A User’s Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate. I also own a chocolate company where we produce all-natural chocolate onsite. I’ve been an entrepreneur for 15 years (9 in the chocolate industry, 6 in the apparel industry), and I love it! My favorite things about being an entrepreneur include the freedom to create extraordinary products and bring them market to market immediately, employing other people in a fun, dynamic workplace, and doing something no one else is doing, despite the fact that many people didn’t believe it would work, and being successful at it.”
– Julie Pech, Owner, The Chocolate Therapist, Inc
8) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent in that I can change the direction of my business anytime it needs to happen. I’m free to experiment with ideas, products, and balance of life. No longer is work drudgery – it’s something that improves my life and my customers’ lives.”
– Laura Lopuch, Founder/CEO, RuffArmor
9) “Being a self employed entrepreneur makes me feel completely independent because I am ultimately the one responsible for both the good and the setbacks in my businesses. Being an entrepreneur and having the independence takes away that painful feeling of feeling stuck on that hamster wheel of a job and doing the same thing over and over each day. It’s my independence as an entrepreneur that gives me the daily flexibility to live that lifestyle and achieve my dreams that every entrepreneur desires.”
– Mike Kawula, Founder, Self Employed King
10) “The number one reason is creation. There are very few activities in this world that allow humans to take advantage of the gift of imagination. Nothing makes me feel more independent than creating my own future.”
– Spencer Thompson, Founder & CEO, Sokanu
11) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I am in complete control of my destiny. I love working for myself, by myself. Lately my days have been filled with taking care of my two newborn twins. I could have never stayed home with them while still making an income if I hadn’t taken the leap to quit my job in January. The feeling of independence and being in control of what happens every day is the most rewarding feeling out there.”
– Catherine Alford, Solopreneur, Budget Blonde
12) “As an entrepreneur, I am creating my own path and helping shape the future of how people choose their wine, beer or spirit. Working for myself gives me the freedom to make a significant impact in an industry I enjoy, which I have not felt, at least to the same degree, when I did not have a stake in the game.”
– Kevin Byrne, Chief Operating Officer, BeverageGrades
13) “I’ll never forget what made me want to be an entrepreneur. I built a company for someone else – I had the industry knowledge, but he had the money. After 2 years of running the company for him (he couldn’t even name the bestselling product and never spoke with a customer), he yelled at me after I complained about his wife using the company card for personal purchases.
I couldn’t place orders for product we needed, and as a result, our customers got mad that we couldn’t fill their orders. As he swore at me, saying that I was his employee and not business partner, and that I should never question him – I decided I would never work for someone else again.”
– Allen Walton, CEO, SpyGuy Security
14) “You know that wonderful feeling you get when you can get out of the house for a few hours and run errands or take a moment to shoot some baskets with the kids? Or the thrill of being able to attend a charity function that is near and dear to your heart when it takes place mid-day? That is the feeling of independence for me! Though I may work more than I would at any full-time job, the ability to live life to the fullest is what makes me feel independent!”
– Jill Caren, Owner, Charity Paws
15) “I recently started my own business because all the start ups I worked for kept running out of payroll money. But they could always pay vendors. Now I do the same work for more money, sitting on my couch or, as I am right now as I’m typing, from the local cigar lounge. I’m planning a workcation with my wife for the middle of summer where we will take a nice executive suite on the beach in Virginia, work part of the day, and swim and party the rest of the time. It’s awesome.”
– Christopher Bull Garlington, Proprietor, Creative Writer PRO
16) “Being an entrepreneur gives me the freedom to train myself to be a better person. I’m always reading books and listening to audiotapes on selling, leadership, and teaching. And I have total control over when, how, and which materials to learn from so that I can better provide value to my clients.”
– Moshe Siegel, Company Owner, The SAT Lessons Company
17) “Being in charge and personally solving problems as they come is self gratifying.”
– David Pressler, Owner, Safe Domes
18) “Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to let my creative juices flow! As a designer and writer, the ability to pick and choose my work as opposed to being assigned what the firm wants me to produce has given new life and fire to my creativity. The added bonus is being able to spend more time with my kids, friends and family even as I travel the world writing luxury travel pieces.”
– Gina Samarotto, Owner, Samarotto Design Group
19) “I love being my own boss and setting my own schedule (I am sure that every small business owner said that) but more importantly I LOVE giving back to our local community and helping our employees achieve their goals and dreams!”
– Keith Miller, Owner, Pampered Pooch Playground, Bubbly Paws Dog Wash
20) “Entrepreneurship has given me a new sense of self-worth. It has also given me an inner strength that at times seems unreal.”
– Tasha H. Kornegay, Owner, Oscar William Gourmet Cotton Candy
21) “As an entrepreneur, I hold these truths to be self-evident: That all business people are NOT created equal, and some of us are endowed by our dreams and ideas with the ability to open new doors, create new ventures, and bring great products and services that come from the needs we see of the people to gain rewards by the people as we make great stuff for the people.
Okay, okay, I’ll stop with the patriot games but seriously? The independence of being an entrepreneur, at least in my past businesses and my current brand new one, Float Plan One, The App That Can Save Your Life is a two-edged sword–you are independent of bosses and outside agendas, but dependent on your own talents, wits, and dedication to hard work to make your dreams come true. That’s a kind of dependence I find liberating and full of freedom…and it creates both inspirational and income fireworks that beat anything you’ll see on the 4th of July!”
– Dan Fendel, Founder/CEO, Float Plan One LLC
22) “I’ve been an entrepreneur all my life. It gives me independence, freedom, the ability to conduct business how I want to, and help others. I make my own future and create my destiny.”
– Gayle Carson, President, Carson Research Center
23) “Being an entrepreneur means independence in that I am able to think on my own without pressure to be someone I am not. Being independent means waking up everyday knowing I am leading my own
charge and it starts and stops with me. Independence means freedom to be fully myself in all that I do.”
– Lisa Peterson, Founder, Wealthclinic.com
24) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I can make as much or as little money as I want. Most days I barrel ahead and make dozens of cold calls, but when I don’t feel like working that hard I can take it easy. Being an entrepreneur means the sky’s the limit for how far you want to go in life, and best of all, no one can fire you!”
– Julie Austin, Owner, Swiggies Wrist Water Bottles
25) “Being a business owner makes me feel independent because I finally have the freedom of schedule that I’ve always desired. I’ve always wanted to be able to vacation at whim while still making money, entrepreneurship allows me that pleasure.”
– Jenelle Jones, CEO, RESTore Silk
26) “Entrepreneurship places the onus on me to perform. I report to myself, evaluate myself, pay myself and enjoy myself. Every day I wake up to that satisfaction.”
– Thierry Augustin, Co-Founder, Genteel Flair
27) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent! A year ago I was an Executive Assistant to the CEO of an international sports nutrition company; working nights and weekends building my international custom lollipop brand since 2008. While being the boss comes with many unique challenges my ability to make myself available for my family is a SWEET benefit.”
– Heather Kelly, CEO, Vintage Confections
28) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent in that I set my schedule, design my work climate, and have the power to pay myself what I deem to be fair. Furthermore, I’m able to hire others, be as creative as I like, and abandon any relationship that isn’t a good fit.”
– Trelani Duncan, Owner, So Fundamental Publishings
29) “Being an entrepreneur gives me freedom, liberty, and permission to pursue truly soul-satisfying work each and every day. I love the luxury of choosing my clients, working from a home-based office, being able to set my own hours, and reinventing what work is. Plus my boss is easy to work for. What’s not to love?”
– Jennifer Martin, Business Coach, Zest Business Consulting
30) “A dime earned on my own is worth a dollar working for someone else. Having spent 20 years in corporate and been involved with the dot.com boom and bust I had finally had enough after successfully building a multi-million dollar e-commerce department for a Fortune 500 company only to have it close due to a political game played by the executives to remove the CIO. An entrepreneurial restart was needed for me to regain enthusiasm for my career. Despite a challenging start working for myself I held one thought above all else; that a dime earned on my own was worth a dollar working for someone else. And I’ve never been happier.”
– Jonathan Goodman, President, Halyard Consulting
31) “Having my own business is independence itself. There is no one to answer to, which can be taxing having to take care of everything, but when everything is for you (and your family) and by your own choice, rather than for someone else’s outcome, it’s very easy to embrace.”
– Christopher Logan, Creative Director, Book the Film Publishing
32) “Entrepreneurship provides me with an outlet to express myself both creatively and technically. Being an entrepreneur allows me to take control over services that I would both use, and can offer to other people, and the industry as a whole. Ultimately, teenagers in this generation like myself can use entrepreneurship as the ultimate form of expression and self-development.”
– Riad Chikhani, Founder & CEO, Gamurs
33) “Being an entrepreneur gives me the greatest feeling of independence by allowing me to set my own hours and decide how much I’m going to get paid. Being truly independent, to me, means that I get to make my own mistakes and learn at my own pace, but most importantly I get to make money doing what I’m passionate about: making people feel beautiful and special. I want my business to give women the confidence to be independent, too!”
– Leslie Engstrom, Owner/Jewelry Designer, Kleinod Reflections
34) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I can be room mom at my kids’ school and still run a successful company. Nothing better than that!”
– Amy Maurer Creel, CEO, Smart Mom, LLC
35) “Entrepreneurship makes me independent because I can finally fit my work around my LIFE, versus the other way around. My priorities are clearer than ever, and my work is now something I do because I want to do it, not because the clock says it’s time to punch in.”
– Natalia Robert, Owner/Photographer, Full Circle Images
36) “Like attracts like. I like food, music, and Hollywood. Nothing makes a person feel more independent than having a dream, being able to create it and live it! Welcome to my world and welcome to my ambition!”
– Marc Renson, Entrepreneur/Chef/Author/Artist, Ambition Coffee & Eatery
37) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent and in charge of my own destiny. It allows me to have the freedoms of being involved in my children’s life and have a career as well.”
– Lisa Youngelson, President/CEO, Zippyz by Little Trendyz
38) “People say the biggest risk in business is being on one’s own. In an age of layoffs and unemployment and employees having their fate in the hands of their employer, I say the greatest risk is not being an entrepreneur. No one ever fired themselves or laid off themselves. Being independent
leaves destiny in your own hands. Happy Independence Day to all you entrepreneurs!”
– Howard Greenspan, Owner, SCS Direct Inc
39) “I went from young associate attorney working as an employee for a small suburban law firm to eventually operating my own law firm while also developing a multi-platform luxe lifestyle enterprise that celebrates smart, stylish, and vibrant women & all their fabulousness. The company offers thought-provoking, educational and inspirational events, speaking engagements, seminars, media offerings, and lifestyle products for the extraordinary woman who wants to live with great style and personality, confidence, elegance and panache! I decide what I do, what time I do it and with whom I do it with EVERY DAY! Being an entrepreneur has given me the freedom to design a customized meaningful, fulfilling, successful and fabulous life with the perfect work-life balance.”
– Lidia Szczepanowski, Esq., Owner, Everything Lidia, Inc.
40) “My father always told me that it was better to sell pencils on the street for yourself, then to work for someone else. It wasn’t until I started my own business that I realized how right he was. Whether it’s having control over your schedule, being able to pick your own customers or deciding which opportunities that you want to pursue without having a gazillion meetings in the process, being self employed provides a great deal of freedom and independence to those who choose to forge their own path in life.”
– Seth Peterson, Co-Founder/CEO, All You Can Arcade
41) “Being an entrepreneur enables you to create, manage and lead without any jurisdiction, confines and allows the super-person in you to find the ‘yes’ out of the sea of ‘no’s’ and ‘I told you so’s.’ As an entrepreneur, you allow yourself the freedom to accomplish whatever your goal or dream you have….the size of your success or conquest is totally up to you!”
– Scott-Vincent Borba, Founder/Creator, Scott-Vincent Borba Inc
42) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I am able to get up every day and to determine what my day looks like and how I will approach the new opportunities. It provides me with the chance to spend time with my children and to develop meaningful relationships within my definition of successful connections.”
– Monica Cost, Chief Pathfinder, Monica Cost Enterprises
43) “I left my job and started a tech company with the aim to help PayPal merchants manage their businesses more efficiently. A year later, I released PaySketch – a business intelligence and analytics application for businesses who use PayPal. Being an entrepreneur has actually set me free – I got all the time to think and decide about what I would really love to work on and pursue. I can now work on things which I think solves a problem to help the society.”
– Vivek Nanda, Founder, PaySketch
44) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because it allows me to be my own boss therefore setting my own hours enabling me to be able to do what I want when I want with a little planning. Being an entrepreneur makes me feel free.”
– Michelle Dunn, Author/Columnist, MichelleDunn.com
45) “I love setting a goal for myself and striving to reach it. My time is my own and I can work odd hours, miss the ‘rush hour’ traffic, and take my dog for a walk. Just knowing that I have the independence enables me to be more creative and enhances my ability to focus on better ways to do business and to add to my product line.”
– Diane Piper, President/Designer, BORSAbag LLC
46) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I am able to fully devote my time and energy to my passions and interests. I am able to work during those times of day (or night) that I am most creative and productive. And the freedom to work with your body and mind instead of against it means you are able to offer a far better product or service to your customers.”
– Angie Nelson, Virtual Assistant, The Work at Home Wife
47) “I get to work in my pajamas, while on road trips, and in exotic places like Bali and India. I get to be creative and fully responsible for my results, decisions, and successes. I don’t have to deal with incompetent ego driven bosses, crazy corp rules, and weird agendas. But most importantly I get to be present to my daughter growing up while doing great and meaningful work in the world.
To me that’s what being independent is all about. I am free to work and contribute my authentic best, free to self-express myself, and make as much money as I willing to work for. I know I will die happy with zero regrets.”
– Mai Vu, Mai Vu Coach
48) “It’s a dream come true to be a momtrepreneur! I’m raising my two children and running my company, SassaB LLC, without any guilt. My children say I am their hero and our retail stores are selling SassaB Linkable Charms faster than I can say success!”
– Tracy Sanders, Founder/CEO, SassaB LLC
49) “Entrepreneurship means freedom to me. I spend my days fostering my own passion and spending time doing exactly what I want to be doing. I have created my own independent lifestyle and that feels amazing!”
– Lee Prosenjak, The Guy Who Does Everything But Teach Dance, Cherry Creek Dance
50) “As an entrepreneur, I am deeply passionate about learning as much wisdom in my profession and sharing this wisdom with others in a way that is creative, inspirational, and motivational. Being an entrepreneur allows me to plan my time and my days in a way that is in alignment with making a difference in the lives of others.”
– Tiffany Mason, Owner, Tiffany Mason Coaching and Consulting
51) “My feelings of independence stem from that fact that it’s my company – I can take it into any direction I feel is correct. I look for input from my mentors, make the decision, and work towards success. I enjoy taking the risk and learning what worked and improving what didn’t. Gone are the days
of never ending meetings without resolution or Monday morning quarterback meetings – yuck!”
– Lisa Hennessy, Owner, Your Pet Chef, LLC
52) “Combine passion and desire to any project and once completed successfully (in certain cases just reaching for success is enough) that feeling of independence will kick in.”
– Daniel Yepez, President, Day Group Services, and Founder of United Biofuels of America
53) “I was 15 when I first started a business. While not always easy, this country offers more options than any other country in the world. If you can find the right path with a drop of perseverance and I’ll find yourself proud to be independent.”
– Cody McLain, Founder, WireFuseMedia LLC
54) “Being an entrepreneur makes you feel independent because of the freedom. There is no clock to punch, no boss to answer to and no vacation or sick days. Just good old fashion hard work similar to what built America and made her independent many years ago.”
– Damani Goodson, Brand Manager, The Brand Architects, LLC
55) “Bring an entrepreneur is one of the ultimate ways to experience the independence granted to all citizens of our country. I have the right to take risks, total freedom to design and manufacture products and speak up about what I do, even to the president!”
– Anne Lopez, Founder/CEO, Romeo Delivers
56) “Freedom to control our future. Making choices to benefit my business and family. Aligning myself with projects I feel passionate about.”
– Julie Rustad, Mompreneur/Artist, Julie Originals
57) “I wake up each day telling myself what is important and do that task today rather than let somebody else decide for me. I get to spend quality time with my wife and kids which are really the reason why I want to be an entrepreneur in the first place.”
– Thomas Hoi, Founder, Thomas Hoi LLP
58) “We have the freedom to work 12-hour days when our energy is high and take the day off when we need it, without having to ask someone else for permission. We determine our own success through how we organize our time and efforts – no one else tells us how much money we can earn in any given month. Most importantly, we have the authority, independence, and freedom to make important decisions in our lives and businesses without having to consult with or get the approval of a boss.”
– Tim and Laura Jones, Owners, Arbostead
59) “Entrepreneurship allows me to set my own priorities, express myself fully in my work, and see the direct financial benefits of my efforts. These combine to create such a powerful sense of independence that it would be very difficult for me to imagine going back to being an employee.”
– Linda Hoopes, President, Resilience Alliance
60) “I’m the co-owner of YummyCutz, the unique and food safe cookie cutter shop found on Etsy. I’m working towards the day where this side business will flourish into a full-time job. I want to work hard for my dream, not someone else’s.”
– Joseph Corleto, Co-Owner, YummyCutz
61) “I decided to make a crucial change in my late 50’s and retired from my corporate IT career to fulfill a lifelong dream to go out on my own as an author and artist. I would not say it was easy and financially not the best decision but the independence and ability to make my own decisions and have more control over my future is an amazing feeling! The challenges, decisions, paths I take, successes and failures are all mine–I love it!”
– Carol Roullard, Author and Artist, Vista Focus
62) “Being a business owner not only affords me the freedom to work for myself but it also gives me pride knowing that I am conducting business the way I see fit. Oftentimes working for a boss means that you are pigeonholed. While working for myself may be trying at times, there is no better feeling than helping people with their careers and helping them succeed.”
– Andrea Berkman, Founder and CEO, The Constant Professional
63) “As a military spouse, being a solopreneur is the best form of independence. I have the freedom to set my own hours and earn the income I want. Being a Virtual Assistant (VA) offers the flexible and portable career I relish while following my service member around from duty station to duty station.”
– Melissa St. Clair, Owner/Independent Contractor, PaperChaser
64) “For me, being an entrepreneur is so much more rewarding than I could have imagined. I love getting up in the morning and helping people who love their business grow their business. Jewelry and gemstones are two of my favorite things, and having a niche communications agency in that industry makes every day truly enjoyable. I am living the girly dream – what woman doesn’t love looking at beautiful things?”
– Olga Gonzalez, CEO/Founder, Pietra PR
65) “While being an entrepreneur creates much stress, there is also a sense of control over it. You are in charge and can adapt as you wish to the stress, necessities and requirements of your business. Entrepreneurship also gives the American dream possibilities to what you do, where there is always a chance you can make it big and succeed beyond your wildest dreams. In working for someone else, that dream is minimal unless you are part of a burgeoning start up. The risk is greater but so is the reward which allows entrepreneurship to feel more independent than working for others.”
– Christopher Nelson, CFO, Glass Handbag
66) “I left the NHS (Nurse) and set up on my own in 2012 within the health sector. I won Company to Watch 2013 at the Graduate Entrepreneurship Day at Uni. I now have 8 ad hoc consultancy jobs, am totally independent and am loving the diversity of it all.”
– Sarah Dawkins, Owner, Sarah Dawkins Health Consultancy Ltd.
67) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because it gives me the creative freedom to do what I think is beneficial for the company and be a trendsetter and not a follower waiting to see what the industry is doing. I do not have to wait for approval from a corporate office to participate in something in the community. I can also cross over into other fields to network or help anyone that may be in need of guidance or advice within the same field of work.”
– Floyd N. Keller, Jr., National Director, North American Sports Federation – Iron Sports Division
68) “As the owner of my own law firm, I feel that with ownership comes pride. And with pride comes excellence. And with excellence comes independence.”
– Tomas Flores, Owner, Bay Area Law Center
69) “Being an entrepreneur is awesome! I declared my independence from sitting behind a desk, my overbearing boss, office politics, and most importantly, independence from having to be stuck in an office all day working five days to enjoy two!”
– Dan Nainan, Comedian/Actor/Voiceover Artist/Computer Geek, Nainan.com
70) “I am in a weird space right now, a true dichotomy of opposing worlds as an entrepreneur, an owner of a restaurant and a full time corporate employee. The reason I made the entrepreneurial leap was because I know I work hard in my day job and I wanted to see if I expensed that same energy current of drive and determination could I reap the rewards of the fruits of my labor and map my own future. In essence, entrepreneurship gives me the independence to set the course of my future and the opportunity to truly make my mark instead of hoping someone will notice me and my efforts!”
– Zee Brown, Owner, Top Shelf Sports Bar and Grill
71) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I chose a schedule that fits the lifestyle and hours I want to work. I have the ability to be picky about what clients I work with only working with the very best and giving them the very best service in return.
Being an entrepreneur is not about being alone and free, it’s about having the ability to make my personal and professional life work well together so I can serve the people I love most, take care of myself and provide the most value to my clients. It is really about giving to the maximum capacity from love not when I am tired or because I have to.”
– Rachel Sherwood, Food Stylist/Culinary Coach, Impressions At Home
72) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I have complete freedom. Freedom of time, freedom of choice, and financial freedom and there is nothing better on this Earth than that for me!”
– Kisha Mays, Founder and CEO, Just Fearless, LLC
73) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because the success or failure of my business is ultimately determined by the results of my own actions. Make good decisions and reap the rewards or make poor choices and suffer the consequences. In either scenario, the destiny of my business is within my control which makes being an entrepreneur almost the definition of independence.”
– Jeremy Schaedler, President, California Contractor Bonds
74) “The main feeling of independence that entrepreneurship has given me is the option of a flexible working environment. The minute you become your own boss and close the door on a fixed office space, the whole world suddenly opens up to you as your office. My co-founders and I have worked on our startup from a chalet in the French Alps, on a beach in the Philippines, and many trains and coffee shops across Europe on our travels. It removes the need for escapist holidays – you’ve already escaped.”
– Sam Bruce, Founder, Much Better Adventures
75) “Being an entrepreneur is insanely freeing – I am my own boss, so I don’t need to worry about creating an Excel that makes my boss happy or meeting an arbitrary deadline – I just do whatever is best to advance my company. Knowing that the success of my business is tied to the decision that my co-founders and I make is extraordinarily motivating and freeing.”
– Rob Biederman, Co-Founder, HourlyNerd
76) “Through entrepreneurship, I have the ability to choose the risks I would like to take, and determine the direction of the company brand. Additionally, I can what opportunities we are going to pursue and how hard we are going to work to get them.”
– Frank Agin, President and Founder, AmSpirit Business Connections
77) “Being an entrepreneur allows me to control my own destiny. I work when I want and as much as I want, and I answer to no one but myself. This allows me the freedom to make decisions and run my business the way I want to.”
– Stacy Rybchin, Chief Curator & Founder, My Secret Luxury and My Secret Soiree
78) “A lot of people feel like they have security when they work for a big enterprise, but what we’ve learned in recent years is that employees even at the biggest institutions are never truly secure. Working independently means building up the skills to know that no matter what happens with changing markets in a fast-moving world, you’ll be able to cope with it, and even thrive. Now THAT is independence with security!”
– Scott Yates, Founder, BlogMutt.com
79) “The best part about being an entrepreneur is the ability to be creative in how I do business. I can look for ways to create a win-win scenarios for all involved. Being an entrepreneur provides me with liberty to take time off when I need it and ability to work whenever and wherever I’d like.”
– Nev Kraguljevic, Business Consultant and Diversity Trainer, Diversity for Business
80) “As an entrepreneur I have the freedom to be and do anything. To own every accomplishment and every failure. To move forward each day with purpose and excitement.”
– Katie DeCicco, CEO, Celebration Saunas, Inc.
81) “As an entrepreneur, you feel independent in the fact that you can create the company culture and mold the company in whatever way you see fit. You decide who you want to work with, and the direction in which the company will go. The only caveat in that is that when it all goes downhill, those people working for you are looking to you to fix it. So while you can be independent you have to remember that there are those that depend on you, and that’s the double-edged sword of being a CEO.”
– Rich Kahn, CEO, eZanga.com
82) “My journey into entrepreneurship was birthed out of necessity. I fell victim to my third layoff within a six-year time span and I realized that working a j-o-b isn’t as safe or consistent as people like to believe. I needed to take a step back, evaluate, and ask the question what am I waiting for? I was working diligently and passionately to build a brand that saw me as disposable. So I took my destiny and paycheck into my own hands and became an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurism makes me independent because I have the control; control over how I innovate, collaborate, expand, and pivot. When I had a harebrained idea in corporate, it took weeks/months of pitching, approvals, and review before I could ever dream of implementing. When I have an idea for my business, I do it. That simple. Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I select people, projects, and partnerships that align with me and my business not because I’m forced to.”
– Felena Hanson, Founder/Franchisor, Hera Hub
83) “All my work directly benefits my company and mission, I am able to create my own schedule, work from anywhere and am able to make key strategy decisions.”
– Ashley Feinstein, Founder, Knowing Your Worth
84) “Being an entrepreneur gives me the freedom to quickly adapt and change to meet my clients’ needs without the layered bureaucracy.”
– Kelly Alvarez Vitale, President, Strategic Philanthropy Inc.
85) “Launching my own business is probably the most freeing thing I’ve ever done, and to this day – more than 15 years after I hung out my shingle – I treasure that freedom. I learned from my parents, who were both entrepreneurs, what a joy it is to work on one’s own terms. There have been times when full-time opportunities have presented themselves, but I don’t know if I could ever give up my business to work for someone else.”
– Michelle Messenger Garrett, Founder/Consultant, Garrett Public Relations
86) “The one thing that makes me feel independent as an entrepreneur is the freedom to make big decisions about the work I do. As an employee, you’re often told what to do and how to do it. It’s nice to have the independence to choose your project, change it, and make decisions on when and how they get done.”
– Ashli Norton, Co-Founder at Autosend.io
87) “Freedom to fail is a motivator that makes starting a business exciting. At LoyalVIP we are very aware of a customer’s freedom to opt-in and opt-out of the loyalty programs we install and manage for business owners. Customers choose to receive our messages because we provide value, which is a very rewarding validation of our work.”
– Brian Gallo, Owner, LoyalVIP
88) “The freedom to work how, where, when and with whom I will work, creative freedom, and the freedom to take risks.”
– Karin Hurt, CEO, Let’s Grow Leaders
89) “As a successful entrepreneur, with ownership interests in two small businesses that we started from scratch in the Midwest, I value the freedom of this way of doing business. Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because it allows me the freedom to make decisions including hiring and firing employees, taking on interns, marketing a budget, where and how to market at, when to pull the plug on a market, and what direction to take the company in the future.”
– Andrew Zurbuch, MBA, President, healthplanbrokers.com
90) “As an entrepreneur, setting my own priorities makes me feel independent. Only I decide what is the most important thing to be working on each moment. For better or worse, you are in charge of your focus.”
– Esther Kuperman, CEO, Marketers Anonymous
91) “Running my own business gives me the independence to follow my gut and put plans into action NOW. I consult my team and listen to their opinions, but the reality is I can make changes at lightening speed compared to the snail’s pace imposed by the hierarchy of a large corporation.”
– Jen Moore, Founder, Meez Meals
92) “When asked how being an entrepreneur makes him feel independent, Tim responded, Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of quick decision making that have no right or wrong answers, only gut intuition. Depending on others can cloud judgment or prolong the inevitable outcome, both which can be detrimental for a startup. Sometimes you need to make an independent decision that just feels right, and prepare for the end result.”
– Tim Sae Koo, CEO/Founder, Tint
93) “What I love most about having my own business is the ability to arrange my life around my own priorities, energy and preferred work rhythms. At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to care for myself, my family and my business. And God gave me 24 hours each do to accomplish those 3 things. There’s no reason to stress myself out trying to make them fit into artificial timeslots. I schedule them when they make the most sense for me and my natural style. For example, I’m a night owl. So I’ve chosen to do administrative tasks and email-based stuff after 9 p.m. when my daughter is in bed. That frees up daylight hours to take a much needed yoga class for relaxation or just to run a few errands when there are no crowds.”
– Elene Cafasso, Founder, Enerpace Executive Coaching
94) “The best part about being an entrepreneur who is an author is being able to create powerful content that will change lives around the world… while sitting on my couch in my underwear.”
– Brenden Dilley, Speaker and Author of Still Breathin’: The Wisdom & Teachings of a
Perfectly Flawed Man
95) “As an entrepreneur, I feel independent because I have a voice. I have the opportunity to act on what I believe is best for the company- whether that is hiring a particular person or choosing if I want to partner with a business or not. At the end of the day, I am able to see first hand the results of my efforts, which is truly rewarding.”
– Jeremias De La Cruz II, Owner, SoCal Entertainment
96) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because as a woman in business, I am in control of my career. I have an outlet through my business to express my creativity. I also feel independent because I am a self-motivated entrepreneur and I built the business on my own without any sort of outside investment.”
– Taylor MacKinnon, Founder/President, HTM Communications
97) “Independence for me is waking up everyday and loving what I do. I’m not confined to a cubicle and I don’t have a boss breathing down my neck.”
– Jud Lang, Chief Marketing Officer, GrabGenie
98) “As an entrepreneur I feel more in control of my own destiny than ever before. Of course there will always be external factors and influences, many that I know I cannot control. But just knowing that how I respond to those challenges is totally up to me, gives an indescribable sense of freedom and purpose. I highly recommend it!”
– Kristy McCarley, CEO/Chief Creative Officer, Shazzy Fitness LLC
99) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I am in control of my choices rather than a boss. I can create a flexible schedule based on my family’s needs, work when I want, and arrange things so I can do fun stuff when I want. I no longer have to operate under the wishes of another person and to me that is total independence!”
– Sara Wagers, Certified Online Business Manager and Owner, Virtual Biz Partner
100) “For us, being ‘on our own’ as entrepreneurs is liberating because there isn’t a limitation on creativity and if there’s a need to try something now or become more proactive vs. reactive, there isn’t a ton of compliance, checks and balances or ‘red-tape’ that often hinders (or cripples) some of the bigger players out there. You can be nimble, quick and innovative with much more ease and at a much quicker pace.”
– Jeremiah Sullivan, Co-Owner/Integrated Communication Specialist, Framework Media Strategies
101) “As the founder of several ventures, including a content writing agency called Prose Media and a non-profit educational video site called Courseworld, I am very aware of how extremely exciting being an entrepreneur can be. It is great to not only be your own boss but to also have the freedom to create a successful business or non-profit, and develop it from the ground up. I am extremely lucky and happy to have been able to do all of this and look forward to continuing to independently develop these and other projects in the future.”
– Justin Belmont, Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Prose Media LLC
102) “Independence is the ability to work from home in my pajamas, not having to answer to anyone but myself, and having the ability to stay focused on my passions.”
– James La Barrie, Founder, Beyond Marketing
103) “Being an entrepreneur gives you immensely better options than working for someone else. For one, I get to choose the people I work with. Considering the fact that most employees would say there’s someone at work I always try to avoid, I never have to worry about that. If I, or someone who works with us, doesn’t like someone, or they’re not a culture fit for our company, we let them go.”
– David Long, President/CEO, My Employees
104) “Being an entrepreneur makes me feel independent because I cannot think of a more independent job, especially in the beginning! Everything that needs to be done on my online magazine is up to me: I am the editorial team, the marketing team, the research team, the sales team; and have to ultimately answer to myself. Plus, with my business online, I can pretty much work anywhere with an Internet connection, which also creates an environment of independence.”
– Renee, Founder, Beautifille.com
105) “For us, as entrepreneurs, just being able to take the risks and opportunities we believe in, whether it be trying different business models or exploring new product ideas, makes us feel independent. Investintech grew as we constantly shaped and developed our own identity and our user base—that process in itself gave us a feeling of independence because we were able to trust in our own abilities to succeed. And now, years later, we feel a sense of independence daily in the decisions we make because, ultimately, they decide where our company is headed and where we want it to be.”
– Keith Bradbury, Co-Founder, Investintech.com Inc.
Celebrate the 4th of July by becoming your own boss and starting up a small business! Leave a comment below, or give us a call at 1-877-692-6772 and MyCorp will help you get started!
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Happy to be included with these inspiring entrepreneurs! Happy Independence Week!
Many people decide to leave their day-to-day job in order to be more independent in their schedule and level of income. Freelance jobs provide all of those opportunities, since the level of outcome that you gain is proportionate to your work. I was afraid to start my career of a freelance writer, but once you managed your workflow everything is gonna be okay!