Entrepreneur or Employee, Which is Better?

Running a small business is hard work. Not everyone is cut out for it. Some people are better suited to be employees than owners.

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by Ethan Hausmann

Owning your own business is the dream of millions. Everyone aspires to this goal and would excel if only given a chance. Right? Not so fast. It takes a certain kind of person to be an entrepreneur.

Hard work being an entrepreneur
Running a small business is no easy task. There are a bunch of different hats which an entrepreneur must juggle in order to succeed. Often when you are starting out, you don't have a budget for hiring a bookkeeper, marketer, and business manager. So you end up doing everything yourself. This can be very stressful.

If you are an employee and don't do a good job, then usually someone else can pick up the slack. When you are an entrepreneur, if you fail, then your business can fail, too. Nobody is around to catch you.

Easy life of an employee
Being an employee is easy. You show up to work on time, work all day, then go home. For an entrepreneur, your work is never truly finished. It follows you around. Usually you have to constantly monitor it. Your business is your baby and it needs to be nourished.

As an employee, you only need to worry about your job. Do it well and you get a raise or a promotion. For the business owner, they need to worry about payroll taxes, employee health plans, suppliers, customers, utilities, and a thousand other things. The little things are what can make or break a business.

Choose wisely
Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It is not as glamorous as it might seem. Being an employee can have its advantages, too. It takes a certain kind of person to own a small business. Do you have what it takes?