The one where people still think entrepreneurs are superior to employees

We need to stop treating those who choose to work for someone else as lesser than entrepreneurs.

Welcome to the second half of the year. Okay, that was last week but still weird to think about. I’m over a week into my sabbatical and have basically used this first week to actually relax and chill out at my lake house up in Michigan, spending some time with family I haven’t seen since before the pandemic. I’ve completed two puzzles and read three books so far. Malibu Rising is a really great read if you’re looking for something. (The other two are trashy romance, so I’ll be keeping those to myself.)

Anyway, you’re not here to read my diary.

I’ve had entrepreneurial tendencies since I was very young. I had my first freelance website client at 14, used to sell friendship bracelets in middle school, I’d charge $15 for a custom MySpace layout. It’s always been my “thing” for as long as I can remember.

This is obviously not the norm. Most people don’t aspire to start a business. For many, it never even crosses their mind once. My husband works a very traditional job, and he's perfectly content and feels no desire to do his own thing, which is great. If we’re going to spend most of our lives working, we can hopefully all find something that fulfills us.

The issue is I see time and time again people putting entrepreneurs on a pedestal, like entrepreneurs are superior to employees. There’s this idea that entrepreneurship is the more “noble” path because you’re taking a risk of going out on your own. That there’s no cap to how much money you can make, so obviously it’s better.

Here’s the thing. Unless you’re forever planning on being a company of one (which is, of course, a totally fine path to take), you’re going to end up hiring employees at some point. You need extra hands to meet your growth goals. In other words, being an employee is an important need.

So why are we lifting entrepreneurs above everyone else? I watch my husband close up shop at the end of the day and walk away from his work, not giving it another thought for the rest of the day until he needs to pack it back up tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time I took time off from thinking about work. Even on sabbatical now, I’m thinking about it every day. Is cash flow okay? Are we getting enough new work in? What’s the timing of our payments coming in? Is my team happy? Are they stressed? Do they have everything they need to do their work? Do they feel like they are growing in their own careers? Every. Single. Day.

Whether you choose the entrepreneurship path or you prefer to work for another company and just enjoy your work vs. everything else that comes with starting your own company, whichever option you choose is the best one for you. Not for anyone else. Entrepreneurs aren’t better than employees, employees aren’t better than entrepreneurs. Both are necessary for this terrible, capitalism-driven society to function.

You do you.

Here’s a picture of the sunset at my lake house.

P.S. Want to join our Discord?