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Being an entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to make an impact on people with the goods you provide. You get to see the change in peoples lives. Whatever the product an entrepreneur is providing, it is meant to improve the quality of peoples lives. Part of what an entrepreneur does is solve problems. They make something more efficient, provide a better service or build a new product that helps people in their everyday lives.

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There are many different reasons that entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs. Some people know from a very early age that they want to work for themselves, others work for a boss for a while only to discover that they would rather run their own business. One thing that entrepreneurs and small business owners agree on is that being an entrepreneur is great. There are lots of benefits to being an entrepreneur, more than the ones mentioned below, and these benefits are obviously quite personal and dependent on any one persons own set of circumstances, but here is a list of just some of the wonderful advantages of entrepreneurship.

1. You control your own destiny. You have the power to make the decisions that ultimately determine the success or failure of your business.

2. You can be an innovator. Most of the great ideas that have been turned into great businesses have come from entrepreneurs.

3. You create a family. The culture of entrepreneurship is almost like a big family - your business becomes a family and you get taken into the family of your fellow entrepreneurs who are always willing to give advice and help whenever it is needed.

4. You choose who represents your brand. You are obviously only as good as the people that you surround yourself with and when you own your own business, you can surround yourself with a great group of people that share your vision, passion and drive.

5. No dress code. You can go to work wearing what feels comfortable. Doing business in your slip slops can be hugely liberating.

6. You have the opportunity to make an impact. Being an entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to create a business that can make a real difference in the world.

7. You choose your workspace. You can work from home or from a coffee shop, rent space in a creative environment or take space in a cool upcoming area - the choice is yours and it can have a big impact on productivity and the enjoyment factor.

8. It gives you a rush. The stakes are high, but so are the rewards. What better shot of adrenaline than the one you receive after reaching a goal and knowing you worked extremely hard to get to that point.

9. You become a role model. People revere entrepreneurs. Just having the guts to become an entrepreneur is inspiring, but your success will serve as motivation and inspiration to others.

10. Boredom will not factor in your life. Being an entrepreneur or small business owner is busy - you can be guaranteed of never feeling bored.

11. Freedom to travel. Because of technology, you can run your business from anywhere. This means that without a set number of leave days and limitations of the corporate world, you have the freedom to travel while still running your business.

12. Entrepreneurship has no age limit. There is no age limit for entrepreneurs - from the young to the old, it is something that you can get into at any age.

13. Your mind is always in demand. Being an entrepreneur means that your mind is always busy. There are tons of decisions that need to be made, from the initial concept and branding to the growth and goal setting.

14. The pride of saying you're a business owner. It is a great feeling to be able to step back and say, "this is my company," while proudly holding your head up. Being an entrepreneur takes an incredible amount of work - those few words feel so good coming out of your mouth.

15. Full responsibility. It is hugely motivating to know that the work that you do will directly impact your business. There is no finger pointing or blame game - you know where the buck stops.

16. No more being undervalued. There is no need to pitch ideas for change or go through formal processes - you can implement updates and improvements to the business at a moments notice without the approval of anyone else.

17. Building from the base. You get to build something up from nothing. There is nothing more exciting than watching something grow out of an idea.

18. Become more family orientated. Entrepreneurs with kids have the ability to adjust their schedules to attend school functions and activities.

19. Reap the rewards. You really do get out what put in. If you are willing to work harder than anyone else, you will be rewarded accordingly.

20. Freedom to give back. Owning a business gives you the opportunity to support local charities and give back to your local community.

21. Focus on your health. Creating your own schedule means that getting to the gym or getting that run in is more doable. Being an entrepreneur means that you can focus more on your health.

22. Enjoy your hobbies. As long as you "do the work" and give 100 percent when in work mode, your free time can be spent doing the things you love. Attend more sporting events, play more rounds of golf or fish more. Being an entrepreneur provides you with the ability to enjoy your hobbies more.

23. You contribute to society. You can directly impact society by introducing a service or product that people use.

24. No more frantically checking the time. You don't have to be a clock-watcher. As an entrepreneur your time management balance is key. Your day ends when the job is done.

25. You report to nobody. There is no boss to report to and no sign off required - if you want to do something, you do it.

26. It'll be one of the biggest challenges you will face. This will be the biggest adventure of your life and like with any challenging time, you will experience immense growth - embrace it.

27. No career hamster wheel. There will be none of that 'same thing, different day' for you. Your days will come with different challenges and require you to wear a number of hats. Monotony will not be a word that will feature in your life.

28. The ability to pivot. If you find that your business model slows down, you have the freedom to make the necessary changes to get back on track.

29. You get to work with brilliant minds. You have the freedom to connect with incredible, like-minded individuals and to hire those brilliant minds in your own business.

30. Turn your passion and beliefs into a business. You can build a business on whatever you are passionate about and you can bring your own personal beliefs into that business, making it something that feeds your soul every day.

31. You can make people happy. Your product or service could have the ability to make people happy.

32. You will never hit a ceiling. Some jobs have a life span and ultimately hit a ceiling - being an entrepreneur means that the ceiling disappears.

33. Earn a living doing what you love. We all know that making money is important. The best thing about being an entrepreneur is that you get to make a comfortable living doing what you love - it's a win-win situation.

34. Build your own security. Controlling your own destiny is the most secure feeling in the world.

35. You get to constantly learn. Being an entrepreneur means forever being a student. You get to learn invaluable lessons all the time (sometimes the hard way).

36. Eliminate downsizing or layoff fears. Business is getting tougher and tougher - no one's jobs is safe these days. Being your own boss means that you eliminate this fear in your life.

37. Bad days could always be worse. A bad day at the office for an entrepreneur will always be better than a bad day working for a boss.

38. No degrees or pieces of paper stand in your way. When you are an entrepreneur, it is not about how many degrees or qualifications you have to your name.

39. You get to push the envelope. There are no rules when you are an entrepreneur; in fact you are supposed to push the boundaries. What better environment for great ideas to thrive.

40. Satisfy your personal curiosity. You won't know until you try and in trying you almost always surprise yourself.

41. No more boring meetings. You don't have to sit in meetings for the sake of meetings. Any meeting you attend will be because you wanted to.

42. You become a provider. You will become a provider, not only for yourself, but also for others. There is something great about knowing that you have made a difference in people's lives.

43. Create your own corporate culture. You get to develop the corporate culture that you believe will provide the best environment for success and excellence. A recipe for success.

44. Experience personal growth. You will not only grow as a businessperson, but as an individual as well.

45. You become an expert problem solver. No problem will seem insurmountable. You will become an expert at looking at problems and finding a way around them.

46. It never feels like work. If you have created a business around something that you are passionate about, it will never feel like work.

47. You develop resilience. Its not all a bed of roses, you are going to take some knocks on this journey. It is about learning from the set backs and getting back up.

48. You can get competitive with yourself. Entrepreneurs are competitive by nature. The goal is to constantly improve and grow and being your own boss allows you to do this.

49. It enables you to dream big. The freedom to dream big is a huge advantage. When you are an entrepreneur, no idea is too big.

50. You don't have to be lucky. Luck has nothing to do with being successful. The harder you work, the luckier you will become!

The benefits to being an entrepreneur are many. Yes, there will be tough times, but working for yourself will always be better than working for someone else. Being brave enough to take the leap is most certainly the hardest part, but if you have a great idea, passion and a competitive spirit, this may just be the choice for you.

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The Benefits to being an Entrepreneur - QuickBooks

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There are many different reasons that entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs. Some people know from a very early age that they want to work for themselves, others work for a boss for a while only to discover that they would rather run their own business.

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Figure out what kind of industry you want to go into

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Figure out what kind of industry you want to go into

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You have to think hard about what business you want to provide to people. In order to do this, you have to think of what interests you. You can try doing what others do and learn the ways of that business that interests you. Try and mirror that. You could also do what you know or just give yourself time to explore.

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A day in the life of an entrepreneur might include sales calls, marketing meetings, client lunches, press interviews and dozens of other things that advance the progress of the business. Before even getting out of bed in the morning, the first thing entrepreneurs do is grab the phone to see all the missed calls, text messages, and emails that they need to respond to. Most of the emails are from people asking for help, people asking for money, or people who are looking to meet up or schedule a call. It’s time to communicate with the world. For almost two hours in the morning, try to talk to potential clients and other entrepreneurs to figure out how can the company’s revenue increase or more cash can be drawn into the business through other means. The afternoon mostly consists of having an all-team meeting in the conference room to get up to speed on what everyone else is doing. Sometimes, this time is also utilised for a little break so that they don’t get burned out. All this is proceeded with little things like doing demos or doing presentations amongst other workers. At the end of the day, they communicate with the world again. If still awake, which they usually are, entrepreneurs end the night heading back onto the computer and complete more web work and answer emails if any have come through during the evening. Stay online until about midnight and fall asleep in front of the computer screen. That concludes the day.

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Image credit: Shutterstock

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

"You work for yourself? Must be nice..."

A combination of these words have been uttered to me by friends, relatives, new acquaintances and even strangers via email, more times than I can count.

So many people seem to have this romanticized version of what being an entrepreneur consists of. They're bombarded with social media humble-brags of people working from the beach -- they read articles about newly minted billionaires -- and don't even get me started on TV.
Related: 5 Things Productive Entrepreneurs Do Each Day
It all looks so easy, doesn't it? Well, let me let you in on a secret. It can actually be really hard, stressful and exhausting.

But, being an entrepreneur can also be incredibly liberating, exhilarating and unbelievably rewarding. Now here's the thing. Most of the time, it's all of these things (and so many more) at the same time and often all on the same day.

This simple image was created by Derek Halpern (who runs Social Triggers and Zippy Courses) and it's been shared thousands and thousands of times because...well...it rings true with entrepreneurs who know that, while there are definitely ups when running your own business, there's also a lot of downs.

Especially on a daily basis.

From failure to million-dollar business.

Derek understands how difficult it can be as an entrepreneur because he didn't just rise to success on a linear path. In fact, it was quite the opposite, as he points to the critical role that failure played in building a million-dollar business.

Halpern started his first blog after accidentally clicking on someone else's site and realizing he could get paid by advertisers. He figured this would be an easy way to make money. He was wrong. It bombed.

Then he accidentally clicked on another blog and decided he'd try again...this time "making fun of celebrities " instead of sharing the dumb things he did in college.

He was right. It worked. He was starting to climb the ladder of success that everyone dreams of.

And while he was suddenly doing better than he'd ever had, he still struggled from time to time, like when he decided to run his blog and hold a corporate job, which went great until he got a mediocre review, starting a downward spiral of hating himself and "drinking too much." Or when he decided to launch a website for conferences and speakers, working on it for months before realizing that others were doing the same -- and failing..

The point is this: Being an entrepreneur is all about experiencing these ups and downs -- both daily and over time -- but it also involves learning how to navigate them so you still attain success in the end.
Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs See Life Differently
The problem with this harmful myth.

I've been fortunate enough to meet a handful of actors, entrepreneurs, and artists who were "overnight successes". Each of these people only had one thing in common -- none of them were actually overnight successes.

As, Carolyn Gregoire points out, the road to success is usually a marathon and not a sprint...but it doesn't always seem that way.

"In our age of instant gratification, Internet fame and "accidental" billion-dollar start-ups, it's easy to think of success as more of a product of luck than hard work and determination."

Most people don't magically float their way to the top.

To make matters worse, some of the "instant-success" stories we use as our sources of hope and inspiration are false...as in the case of "Angry Birds," an app that was allegedly an "overnight success" but actually took 51 attempts before the developer, Rovio, could make it work.

So while it's nice to think of yourself taking an easy escalator to the pinnacle of achievement, losing this expectation right up front can actually save you a lot of frustration when you encounter obstacles in your way that threaten to halt your ascent.

Sure...some people have been lucky and went from having nothing to having everything in the blink of an eye. But those times are so few and far between that, if you're hoping that's what happens to you, then you'd sooner win the lottery while getting struck by lightning.

Instead, prepare for the downs and, when you have them...
Related: Can You Really Handle the Entrepreneurial Life? Check These 5 Signs
Remember, nothing's permanent

In a 2015 interview with Halpern, Tim Ferriss, author of " The 4-Hour Workweek " shared how, at one point, he was so down that he actually considered suicide.

Fortunately he didn't, and he learned something very important from that time in his life: neither ups nor downs are permanent.

In other words, when you're up, enjoy it because it's not going to last forever. Soak it in, revel in it, bask in its glory.

And if you're down, remember that relief is ahead because you can't stay down forever either.

Or, as Tim says, it's about "...realizing that there is no darkness without the light, that the light can come afterwards. And it does always come afterwards."

This is critical because entrepreneurship and depression oftentimes go hand in hand.

Brush up on your stoicism.

Another way to survive your downs is to brush up on your stoicism. What does that mean?

Ryan Holiday, author of " The Obstacle is the Way" best describes stoicism as a philosophical way of thinking (and acting on those thoughts) in a way that allows you to "...take obstacles in your life and turn them into your advantage, control what you can and accept what you can't. "

This involves realizing that, while you can't always dictate what happens in your world, it is up to you how you respond.

You have the power to let your circumstances sink you or you can choose to use them in a way that helps you rise instead.

Has someone slammed a door in your face? Look around for a window. In a tough spot with your business and not sure how to progress? Ask another successful entrepreneur for advice.

You may feel like you've been dealt a rotten hand, but you can still outscore your opponent if you play cards better.

Or, as Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over. "

Surviving amid the ups and downs.

Yes...living the life of an entrepreneur has many, many ups and downs.

The key to effectively surviving them is:

1. Realizing that it's normal to experience highs and lows, both long and short-term;

2. Not giving into the myth of "overnight success";

3. Remembering that neither ups nor downs are permanent; and

4. Sharing your ups with others can help take you even higher.

Do these four things and you'll be on a steady climb upward, even though you'll still have to deal with a few "bumps" along the way.

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What a Day In the Life of an Entrepreneur Actually Looks Like

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. "You work for yourself? Must be nice..." A combination of these words have been uttered to me by friends, relatives, new acquaintances and even strangers via email, more times than I can count. So many people seem to have this romanticized version of what being an entrepreneur consists of.

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Entrepreneurs earn an average yearly salary of $55,920. Salaries typically start from $10,000 and go up to $120,000. These numbers may vary depending on several factors, like level of education, amount of experience, industry, company size and location.

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A study from American Express OPEN revealed that while more than half of small business owners pay themselves a regular salary, they are receiving an average salary of $68,000 annually, down from $72,000 a year ago. In addition, nearly 15 percent of small business owners need to work a second job while running their business in order to make ends meet.

Despite that, small business owners feel there is a lot to look forward to in the year to come. More than half of those surveyed have a positive outlook regarding their business prospects over the next six months, while more than 4 in 10 are confident that their revenues will increase.

The research suggests that business owners have abandoned their "wait and see" approach, with one-third of entrepreneurs making growth a top priority.

"Small business owners appear poised to flip the switch to growth mode," said Susan Sobbott, president, American Express OPEN.

The study found that entrepreneurs are increasingly turning to social media and analytics to help build up their business. Of the 50 percent of small business owners who are using social media as part of their online marketing strategy, 71 percent are using it to attract new customers, while nearly 60 percent are employing it to drive up sales.

Small business owners are also crunching numbers to help better understand their customers. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed see value in analyzing sales and customer data to better reach consumers, with 68 percent saying data analysis makes their marketing more effective.

"Business owners are getting more targeted in their approach to building customer demand and an increasing number are using analytics to better understand their customers and social media to drive sales," Sobbott said.

While they might not be making the big bucks like they hoped, small business owners are improving their efforts to improve their work-life balance. The study found that just 59 percent of those surveyed find it stressful to balance their personal life and business responsibilities, down from 64 percent in 2007. Additionally, business owners are working, on average, a half hour less per day than they were in 2010.

The research was based on surveys of more than 1,000 small business owners of companies with less than 100 employees.
Originally published on BusinessNewsDaily.

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And, the Average Entrepreneur's Salary Is ...

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A study from American Express OPEN revealed that while more than half of small business owners pay themselves a regular salary, they are receiving an average salary of $68,000 annually, down from $72,000 a year ago. In addition, nearly 15 percent of small business owners need to work a second job while running their business in order to make ends meet.

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Educational prerequisites are non-specific; business experience and higher levels of education are beneficial regardless of the field. A strong business background can be helpful in securing financial support. While successful entrepreneurs are well trained in their fields, qualifications can vary.

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With the rising costs of college tuition, and the fact that you don't have to have a degree to be an entrepreneur, do you really need to go to school? After all, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Walt Disney were all successful despite dropping out of college.

Heck. Tumblr founder David Karp dropped out of high school at 14, and he's doing pretty well for himself.

The thing is, those are some of the more famous exceptions. In reality, college is still very useful for your future entrepreneurial efforts as well as helping you figure out what you want to be in the future. Most of the founders we all know met their co-founders in college and then started their impressive businesses.

Whether you're attending college full time or just looking to pick up a course here or there, here are the classes to take if you want to become an entrepreneur.

1. Finance and accounting

As a business owner of a hosting company that has a lot of transactions, there are two responsibilities I have that I originally was not concerned with: balancing a budget and paying taxes. Both are equally important to your business and, if not handled properly, will potentially spell doom for your startup.

Taking a finance or accounting class will give you a basic understanding of what to do during tax season and how to manage cash flow. More specifically, a finance class will teach you about the time value of money, the tradeoff between risk and return, dividend policy decisions, security market efficiency, and the optimal capital structure.

An accounting class will help you understand the health of your business by revealing the company's assets, liabilities, and owner's equity--which is done through a balance sheet. Furthermore, you can learn concepts involving cash flow and inventory, both of which will influence the success of your business.

2. Marketing

As an entrepreneur, you'll be heavily involved with marketing. Whether it's selling your idea or product to investors or customers, a background in this area is extremely beneficial. With a marketing class, you'll gain insights by conducting research into how to develop products that people want or need. You'll also learn how to develop a marketing campaign and how to engage your audience.

After taking a marketing class, you'll know that it's more important to find your market first, instead of wasting valuable resources in creating a product that no wants to support.

3. Economics

Another business-related class that you should be taking is economics. An economics class will give you a basic understanding of production, distribution, and consumption of goods or services. Economics will also inform you on government policies affecting your business and how you can function in the global market. Also, you'll learn the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics.

4. Management

A trait that entrepreneurs must possess is the ability to rally the troops. But what if that's not in your nature? You could actually learn the techniques of being an effective and efficient leader by taking a management class.

A management class can teach you to properly communicate with team members when delivering criticism or delegating tasks, how to motivate your team, how to make your team collaborate with one another, and how to properly budget your company's finances.

5. Public speaking

Getting in front of people and making a sales pitch is one of the most nerve-racking experiences in my life. Which is why a public speaking course can come in handy. It will teach you how to deliver concise information in an allotted amount of time, how to make an argument, and how to practice your presentation. You'll also learn how to articulate your voice and handle your body language. While there have been arguments that a public speaking class is a waste of money, it still provides an opportunity for you to practice getting in front of a crowd and to gain awareness of certain unflattering traits. For example, I was never aware of how softly I spoke until I watched a video of one my presentations during a public-speaking class.

6. Writing and composition

Even if you're a decent writer, this is still an area in which you can improve. And if you're not a strong writer, then this is a class that you need to take.

Entrepreneurs will do their fair share of writing throughout their career. Whether you're composing a business plan, writing a press release, blogging, or pitching your idea to investors, your grammar skills will be put to the test. A writing and composition class will help you communicate your ideas clearly and give you fundamentals in executing proper writing skills.

7. Computer science

Even if you're not involved in the tech industry, there's a very good possibility that you're still going to have to rely on technology to market and run your business. It's definitely worth the time to learn concepts such as computer coding, how computers work, how software works, how to secure your system, how to compress digital media, and how the internet works.

8. Any American history course

I know. The thought of a taking a history class sounds dreadful. However, history is one of the most valuable courses that you could take. For example, you could learn about the mistakes that past historical figures have made--why is Thomas Edison more well known then Nikola Tesla? However, you can also learn how certain inventions and entrepreneurs changed the world. One of my all-time favorite classes was on the Gilded Age, which was an era full of wealth and industrialization.

Finally, there's the probability that you will have to write a research paper. This is a great skill that you can use whenever you're writing a blog post or conducting research, since you'll discover the different types of resources, which resources are reliable, and how to cite your sources correctly.

College can and will be a great asset to you and your company. It's also something that will help you in the future if your startup doesn't go as planned.

What other classes have you taken in college that have helped you in your entrepreneurial adventures?

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The Classes You Need to Take to Become an Entrepreneur

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With the rising costs of college tuition, and the fact that you don't have to have a degree to be an entrepreneur, do you really need to go to school? After all, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Walt Disney were all successful despite dropping out of college. Heck.

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Being an entrepreneur gives you advantages. To begin with you get to set your own working schedule. With that in mind, you get to be your own boss. You also get to think of new ideas for a product and bring them to life. You choose the work you like to do and that makes the most of your strengths and skills. The result can be more job satisfaction. Entrepreneurs can schedule their work hours around other commitments, including spending quality time with their families. Entrepreneurs get the freedom to work whenever they want, wherever they want, and however they want draws many to entrepreneurship. Most entrepreneurs don’t consider their work actual work because they are doing something they love. As an entrepreneur, your income is directly related to your efforts and the success of your business. So, the more effort you do into getting products out and getting clients, the more income you are  receiving.

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When I realized I'd had enough of working for someone else, it hit me between the eyes - BHAM!

I was at 35,000 feet coming back from a month in Miami, where I had been working alongside the last ever person I would call 'Boss' (except the wife, obviously!). Deep down he was a nice guy.

However, as a boss he was a terrible, micromanaging fiend. To the point where he would receive a copy of every email I received - sometimes even replying as me - ridiculous, right?!

After that month with him, I'd simply had enough of the BS. I wrote my resignation letter on my laptop and when I landed in Hong Kong for my connecting flight, I hooked up to their brilliant free wifi, and hit 'Send'. Never looking back.

A month later I launched my outsourcing business, and I'm still operating that business with now almost 300 employees and have expanded into two different verticals, plus launched my own personal brand in the process, too.

With Valentines Day approaching, I thought I'd play on the 'love' angle a little, and condense some of the reasons why I love being an entrepreneur into a blog post and share it with you, my beloved online community for some fun, and maybe a little inspiration.
Here are the ten reasons why I love being an entrepreneur so much!
1 - Stick it to 'The Man'

Being able to send that email to my last boss and truly 'stick it to the man' felt amazing. It was something that I had been wrestling with for a while. Everything from financial security and the fear (if I'm to be totally honest) of potentially falling flat on my face, came into play. But, when I made the decision to quit, once and for all, I did it, and I've never looked back.

2 - Work Your Own Schedule

Most days I will have 'something' on my schedule. But, having the ability to dictate when I work, when I'll be 'in the office', available for meetings, etc., is freedom that I simply never want to let go of. If I want to take the afternoon off to play with our youngest, Charlie, then I can. You can't do that working for someone else.

3 - Work Where You Like

Most days I work at home. Some days in our HQ facility, and other days from a coffee shop. From time to time I'll even work from a resort (one of the advantages of living in Cebu, Philippines).When I'm not doing any of that, you'll no doubt catch me working in airport lounges and in hotel rooms, as I travel extensively. I love being location independent.

4 - Work With People You Like

One of the major benefits for me, being an entrepreneur, is the ability to be able to pick and choose who I do business with. Life is too damn short to be stressed out by having clients that drive you nuts (I've fired several clients in the past) and to hire employees that either don't deliver, or you don't get on with. Teaming up with the right people is key to a happy working relationship, and as the 'big cheese', you get to call the shots. Cool, huh!?

5 - Create Your Own Opportunities & Destiny

Continuing from No.4, as well as choosing the PEOPLE you work with and partner with, as your own boss, you also have the ability to create your own opportunities by doing things like attending conventions, networking with like-minded people online and much more. In doing this, you shape, almost carve out your own destiny.

6 - Develop and Sell Products & Services You Love

I can honestly say that every product and service I've produced for my own companies I've whole heartedly believed in, and thoroughly love. We felt just like this when we launched Virtual Staff Finder in 2010 - based off of a blog comment we received. Since then we've helped thousands of stressed-out, over-worked entrepreneurs find great quality, enthusiastic virtual staff here in the Philippines. Bringing that ' virtual freedom ' to fellow business owners is something I'm very proud of..

7 - Solve Problems and Make a Difference in the Process

Solving a problem for someone, or a company, is the time-honored 'Sales 101' strategy of business. Give people want they need to get over a hurdle and you'll enjoy success. You'll also create a huge number of raving fans that'll ultimately become customers. People want to do business with people that help them. It's a no-brainer.

8 - Be the Boss

Being the boss is good. It feels good. Don't get me wrong, it comes with it's challenges, for sure (perhaps thats another post?!), but being known as someone that is 'leading the way' for a company and those involved in that company is a huge ego stroke, lets face it. As long as you keep it in check, stay focused and make sure that you deliver on promises (to staff and clients alike!), then you'll be fine.

9 - Stand Up for What You Believe In

Being an entrepreneur also gives you the chance to stand up for what you believe in, and spread the word. I've been fortunate enough to be invited to numerous conferences and business events to speak on the subject of virtual assistance and outsourcing - strategies that I believe every business owner should be engaging in to build their businesses.

As you'll see in the video above, I'm passionate about helping other entrepreneurs leverage time in a fashion that allows them to become more productive and successful. It's situations like this that make me very proud to be in the position where I am.

10 - Affect Change in People's Thoughts & Actions

And for me, the absolute BEST thing about being an entrepreneur is the ability to be able to change peoples perceptions about how 'this or that' should 'be'. I've been in rooms where I've given presentations and literally heard pennies dropping as the attendees understand where I'm coming from and start to think about taking action on whatever it is I'm waffling on about!

When other business owners come to me saying that they don't think that a virtual assistant can help them in their business endeavors I take it personally. Not in a bad way, but in a way that spurs me on to try and prove to them, without a doubt, that VA's will help them and their businesses - in a number of ways. Then, after they take action by hiring a VA for the first time... I smile.
In fact, I smile a lot more nowadays, as an entrepreneur - than I ever did working for someone else!!!
So, there you have it - my reasons behind loving what I do, why I do it, and what it means to me to be an entrepreneur. This type of list will no doubt be a little different for everyone, but I believe a lot of the reasons will remain the same.

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10 Reasons to Love Being an Entrepreneur!

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When I realized I'd had enough of working for someone else, it hit me between the eyes - BHAM! I was at 35,000 feet coming back from a month in Miami, where I had been working alongside the last ever person I would call 'Boss' (except the wife, obviously!).