Some Entrepreneurs Neglect to Enjoy the Holidays

by Martin Zwilling
(Fountain Hills, AZ, USA)

Martin Zwilling, CEO & Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc

It's been a tough business year, but I hope you are all taking some time off this holiday weekend, to celebrate with the family.

Even those of you who are not Christian and see Christmas as just another day should still enjoy the holiday spirit, take a break from work, and count your blessings.

Yet there will be some entrepreneurs can't seem to make the decision to take a break. They forget that they became entrepreneurs, according to a poll by Startups.co.uk for just this flexibility.

Nearly 90% of respondents said decision-making freedom was very important, closely followed by more flexibility for a better work/life balance.

Related reasons, like personal satisfaction also ranked close behind, with 70% of respondents claiming it was a key advantage to running their own business.

Only 32% of entrepreneurs cited money a key benefit of running their own firm. This indicates that lifestyle and satisfaction factors are often more important than financial ones.

As with everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to every choice we make. Choosing entrepreneurship is no exception. Beyond the obvious advantages mentioned above, there are some additional advantages that get mentioned often.

*High level of excitement. Entrepreneurs love the continuous challenges of a startup, and the satisfaction of tackling them. Some are so high on this life, that they hate the fact that they have to "waste" part of their life in sleep!

*Minimal rules and regulations. Work in a conventional job is often difficult to get done because of all the "red tape" and consistent administration approval needed. With a startup there are no rules, until you make them.

*Challenge of originality. A good entrepreneur feels the incentive to offer a new service/product that no one else has offered before. That's the same challenge an artist feels on every new canvas, or every musician feels when composing a new work.

*Beat the competition. Entrepreneurs are driven to offer a new or better product at the same cost, or an existing product as a lower cost. Competition drives innovation, and innovation drives competition. The cycle never stops.

Of course there are some disadvantages that every entrepreneur knows all too well:

*No regular paycheck. Starting your own business means that you must be willing to give up the security of a regular paycheck. In fact, most startup founders work for no salary during the first year or two of company operation.

*Few benefits. There will likely be no medical and dental benefits, and no vacations or other perks during the formative years. Don't expect a staff to do the accounting, handle correspondence, or even clean the bathrooms.

*Decision responsibility. All the decisions of the business must be made on your own, better known as "the buck stops here." This may sound like an advantage, but is actually a major source of stress and loneliness for startup CEOs.

*Staffing challenges. Hiring and firing decisions are hard, and that's just the beginning. Often times, you will find yourself working with people who "don't know the ropes" and require extensive coaching and assistance. Then you have to deal with the mistakes.

By definition, if you see the rewards here as outweighing the risks, you are an entrepreneur. So you should fully appreciate the right to decide to take some time off, and enjoy the family. Take time this weekend to savor the dream. You earned it, and you need the rest. Happy Holidays!
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Martin Zwilling is CEO & Founder of Startup Professionals, Inc.; Callaman Ventures Board Member and Executive in Residence; Advisory Board Member for multiple startups; Arizona Angels Selection Committee; Entrepreneur in Residence at ASU and Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Mr Zwilling's latest book, Do You Have What It Takes to be an Entrepreneur? is available for review and purchase by visiting his site page. Find him on Twitter as StartupPro, and on LinkedIn and Facebook by name. Published on Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Business Insider.