Entrepreneurship: Own a Business or You don't Matter

I really envy people who have the gumption to be entrepreneurs, especially the ones who bask in it like it comes with no stress at all. I see vendors on social media platforms and I marvel. 

You'd see them advertising their goods in very fun ways, not the usual conventional modelling ways. For instance, a wig vendor, could decide participate in trending challenges(like the #bussit, #bopdaddy) on social media platforms to advertise her wigs. A shoe vendor could decide to tell jokes and make short funny skits or even give an influencer for free, to get tagged. Very many creative ways and I just sit and watch in awe, because it'd take someone who's passionate about what they do to keep coming up with ways to entertain as well as advertise their goods. It is worthy of emulation.

I say this because I've been privileged to be around friends and acquaintances who own businesses while they had just incurred massive losses and I really do not think my heart would be able to contain it, if I were in their shoes. 

Which brings me to addressing business owners and privileged rich people, who try to insinuate that someone who does not own a business isn't worthy of existing on same planet as they do. Like I stated in the previous paragraph; there are people like me who do not have the guts or the hearts to bear losses.

Understanding that Nigeria, is quite a unique country in this age and time that it almost looks like if you don't have some sort of side hustle(s), or own a successful business, you won't survive here. Entrepreneurs in Nigeria do not exactly have it easy, there's always a name placed on new taxes to frustrate entrepreneurs, so unless one is overtly passionate about delivering goods and services to the masses, enough to actually delve into the entrepreneurship lifestyle, it would be unkind to refer to a non business owner as 'lazy' or 'unserious' or even try talking down on anyone who has chosen to be an employee.

Notwithstanding, I've come to understand a few aspects used as yardsticks in comparing entrepreneurship and being an employee like:
The Working hours which averagely calculates 40 hours weekly for an employee and 60 to 80 hours for an entrepreneur in their startup days (it could however be relaxed and more flexible, but who has the time). Most people aren't privileged to have something sustaining them while they look to build a business, I'm also not disputing the power of luck and a good strategy. 

Then there's the aspect of Work/life balance: this can not be overemphasized, as entrepreneurs almost always work round the clock, trying to tie up lose ends, but with being an employee, once you're done for the day, you are done. You get to go home to your life and family and any mistakes you may have made at work for that day, is most likely to be addressed the next day. People really sign up for the type of life: people who do not like any form of work to distract their 'family time'. 

The work/life balance determines the level of your "Work stress", say you own a logistic company and one of your riders' bikes or delivery vehicles goes out of work, and the customer is running thin on patience, or you start getting complaints on how your workers are rude to customers, or your workers stop showing up at work for unforseen circumstances, these are ofcourse examples peculiar with large company owners. I've heard social media vendors complain about dispatch riders who just ghosted them, no calls, no contacts, nothing. They pick up the goods to go deliver to clients or customers and they just run off, needless to say the goods might cost an arm and a leg. I'm however well aware of the cons of being an employee in this aspect, but when a company is failing its customers, no one baes the employees, it's always the owners that are called out. Besides, not everyone can bear the burden of their reputation being trashed at any slight misunderstanding with clients or customers. 

Then there's the elephant in the room: "Money". This can go both ways. There are employees who earn much more than three entrepreneurs together, same way there are entrepreneurs, (especially ones who offer services) who earn very unimaginable large sums that an employee could only dream of in five to six years.

Being an employee has it's cons too and unless you're wearing that shoe, it's not very nice to talk down on someone who's decided to not own a business. It's easier if people just stick to what works for them. If you can own a business and thrive amidst the profits and losses, then by all means, own it. However, if you feel you'd be better off as an employee, please do not give in to peer pressure because then, no one would be there to pay your bills and debts when you're swimming in them and even when people are there to pay these debts on your behalf, you wouldn't be at peace with yourself, knowing it's your responsibility they're catering to. 

Also, if everyone becomes a business owner, the global economy would collapse and we all might as well get back to the 'trade-by-barter' days. Lol. 

It's always with love and everything good 💕

TEG