50 Reasons to Own Your Own Business and Celebrate Being an Entrepreneur

Back in 1803 Jean-Baptiste Say defined an entrepreneur as “an economic agent who unites all means of production- land of one, the labor of another and the capital of yet another and thus produces a product.”

I define an entrepreneur as an agent of change, instigator of the impossible and maker of movements that matter.

What Entrepreneurs do is just incredible. We turn ideas into reality. We believe when no-one else does.

We believe in our dreams and work relentlessly to set them free, while others’ keep theirs caged.

Entrepreneur stems from the French words “entre” and “prendre” together, which means “do”.

If there’s one thing that sets us apart from all those people who talk about getting paid to do what they love and starting a business, it’s doing.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of National Small Business Week, I thought we should celebrate the reasons we love entrepreneurship.

Here are 50 reasons to own your own business and how to be an entrepreneur that makes an impact for generations to come.

1. Doing work that engages your heart, mind and soul
2. Flexibility to change your mind when you want
3. Making decisions for yourself
4. Taking orders from no-one
5. Relying on yourself to make your own success
6. Getting up when you want and going to bed when you feel like it
7. Learning a new skill and applying it
8. Believing in yourself even when you are filled with fear
9. Getting through The Dip and realizing it wasn’t that bad
10. Receiving a great testimonial from a customer that makes your day
11. Meeting other like-minded entrepreneurs who “get” it
12. Creating your own agenda and then ditching it
13. Getting to use words like “pivot”, “monetize” and sh*t entrepreneurs say
14. Making your first $1,000 and celebrating with your friends
15. Realizing you’re in charge of your own future
16. Choosing to take the day off to relax and recharge
17. Standing behind your ideas and making them a reality
18. Working with your ideal clients who value what you do
19. Doing stuff that your friends and family don’t always understand but still love you for
20. Making your first sale and getting your first client
21. Screwing up and realizing you’ll still be ok
22. Delegating work because you can
23. Making your first hire
24. Launching your first product
25. Writing a newsletter that one person replies and thanks you for
26. Building a mobile app that people download daily
27. Taking off an afternoon to watch a movie or read a book
28. Avoiding rush hour and working when you want to
29. Figuring out your why and having everything click into place
30. Working on projects that matter and make a difference
31. Creating a vision for your business that excites you
32. Helping one client to have a breakthrough
33. Running out of stock on a product because your customers love it
34. Working from home because you can
35. Celebrating your first month in business
36. Celebrating your first year in business
37. Calling yourself an entrepreneur and believing it
38. Recognizing the work you do is important and necessary
39. Seeing limitless possibilities of how you can grow your business
40. Being approached by someone to be their mentor
41. Buying the perfect domain name and launching a website you’re proud of
42. Inspiring a friend to become an entrepreneur
43. Building a global business that transcends borders
44. Officially registering your business
45. Understanding your strengths and working with them
46. Recognizing you’re not a superhero but pretty damn close
47. Creating more of your perfect days where life and work are in harmony
48. Following your dreams and pursuing them relentlessly
49. Committing to building a business you’re proud of
50. Doing work that matters no matter what.

Celebrate National Small Business Week (17-21 June)

Visa Business created the following infographic highlighting eye-opening facts about small business owners and examining important small business trends. Check it out!

Full Happy Disclosure

I am blogging on behalf of Visa Business and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Visit facebook.com/visasmallbiz to take a look at the reinvented Facebook Page: Well Sourced by Visa Business.

The Page serves as a space where small business owners can access educational resources, read success stories from other business owners, engage with peers, and find tips to help businesses run more efficiently.

Every month, the Page will introduce a new theme that will focus on a topic important to a small business owner’s success. For additional tips and advice, and information about Visa’s small business solutions,  follow @VisaSmallBiz and visit https://visa.com/business.

Tell me what you love most about being an entrepreneur in the comments below!