The
Life of a Woman Entrepreneur
By
Marie Jackson
Staff Writer
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woman entrepreneur’s life is one big irony - you
set out to do something you thought you love to do but
then realize that it was far more tough and back-breaking
than your normal day job. If you hadn’t loved being
on your own so much, you really wouldn’t survive
the vicissitudes an entrepreneur’s life throws upon
you.
We hear a lot of women saying that they had always dreamt
of starting out on their own but then it is amusing to
note that they have no idea how it is, really. Here’s
a take on what the reality can be:
1.
A lonely journey: Nothing can be nearer to the
truth than this one. From the time you had thought of
doing something on your own, you have been busy paddling
against the much established norms the society had set
upon you. They expect you to work while you want to provide
jobs to people. While you ideate with a passion and harbor
dreams that you so reverently adore, you are rarely understood
by anyone else. Chances are that you would be the only
one fighting this battle and you would have nothing for
support except your own big self.
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2.
It’s a tough job: If you were starting out, you
would eventually realize that you would simply be wedded to
the rigors of hard work. It would make you stretch, flex and
pump your energy out. You might have to work harder than ever
before and still you wouldn’t be that pleased. However,
for most of those who do this, it is indeed a humbling and rewarding
experience.
3.
It is really a baby: Businesses are really like babies,
they need to be taken care of when first starting out and then
mentored, coached and befriended. Your life would revolve around
it, you would keep thinking about it and we should push it a
bit far and probably say that it would be termed as obsession.
A consuming, involved and highly addictive vocation, we should
say.
4.
Its freedom: This is perhaps one those common reasons
why most women look at self-employment or business. Being on
your own gives you unparalleled freedom to whatever you like
and whenever you like. If you could manage it, you could take
a day off, take those yearly vacations, be home if you felt
sick, attend your friend’s wedding if you thought it was
important. The point is, as a self-employed business women you
don’t have to beg your boss for a day’s leave or
a half-day’s permission.
5.
Makes more money by taking your life away: If it weren’t
for your choice of profession, entrepreneurship actually grabs
your life away from you. It is a consuming profession and it
is all you would think of even after your company goes public.
It never really stops. It’s a life-time job. What’s
more, you can’t even get away from it because by then
you would know that people’s lives depend on it. Before
you know it, you had changed lives.
