I had my own company for a while. We were doing pretty well given my founder and I were in our 20s, it was our first company, and neither of us worked anywhere else before. We started it right out of college. We ended up having half a dozen employees and a nice office in the downtown of our city. We worked on some cool projects and had a good reputation.
But the stress was insane. Being that young and not having the experience or support around us was incredibly difficult. Having the thought in the back of your mind each month that you might have to let an employee go, lose a project/employee, or have a client bail on you, was overwhelming.
I ended up quitting after about 3 years. I now work for other companies and let them worry about all these things. I am much happier now and my work is much better. I also have a better work/life balance.
Consider the "having my own company" phase over if you feel that way. It isn't for everyone. A lot of society applauds entrepreneurs and glorifies them. Makes it seem like it's a great option for everyone and if you aren't running some company you must be a loser in the cog of the machine... That is not the case.
I actually make more money now than I did running my own company. I used to say I had more freedom but given I work from home now too, it is actually almost the same. I take more vacations now too. I couldn't afford to be away for a week when I had my own business.
I know once you pass a certain point you work "on the business, not in the business" but that is, like others have mentioned, the minority of companies that actually get that far and succeed.
But the stress was insane. Being that young and not having the experience or support around us was incredibly difficult. Having the thought in the back of your mind each month that you might have to let an employee go, lose a project/employee, or have a client bail on you, was overwhelming.
I ended up quitting after about 3 years. I now work for other companies and let them worry about all these things. I am much happier now and my work is much better. I also have a better work/life balance.
Consider the "having my own company" phase over if you feel that way. It isn't for everyone. A lot of society applauds entrepreneurs and glorifies them. Makes it seem like it's a great option for everyone and if you aren't running some company you must be a loser in the cog of the machine... That is not the case.
I actually make more money now than I did running my own company. I used to say I had more freedom but given I work from home now too, it is actually almost the same. I take more vacations now too. I couldn't afford to be away for a week when I had my own business.
I know once you pass a certain point you work "on the business, not in the business" but that is, like others have mentioned, the minority of companies that actually get that far and succeed.