The best and worst thing about running a business

One of the best things about running my own business is that I get to make all the decisions myself. I can come up with an idea, create it, photograph it, upload it to my webshop, and sell it—all in the same day (which has happened a few times). I can work whenever I want, however I want. I can put decisions into action immediately. I think many entrepreneurs are, or become, control freaks—at least when it comes to their own businesses. It’s hard to let others in, and equally hard to get others to understand your vision and share your passion. Probably even more so when it comes to something as personal as artistic creation.

One of the hardest things about running my own business is that I HAVE TO make all the decisions myself and handle every setback alone. I’m both my business’s greatest strength and its biggest weakness. My personal everyday wellbeing affects my business. And if there is a problem and I don’t find the solution, no one else will.

I have my dream job—the one I built for myself—and yet I’m still not completely satisfied. I don’t think you ever really can be, because the best and worst thing about my dream job is the same thing. But I believe the point of life isn’t to be satisfied; it’s the discomfort that pushes us to grow. I’d even argue that growth is the meaning of life for every single living thing. Running a business is incredibly challenging—and incredibly rewarding—for personal growth.