I’ll be totally honest in that it took me quite a bit to get comfortable with the idea of being a business owner. It wasn’t so much entrepreneurship that I feared, but more the whole leaving my full-time job thing. As someone who thrives off routine, I liked the structure of a 9-5 job with vacation and benefits. I smirk as I type that now because, looking back, I just had no idea how much better it would be on my own. Here are a few reasons I finally took the plunge and how they’ve paid off since.

As much as I wanted structure, I also liked flexibility.

While yes, I do work a lot of hours, I like to work in energy waves. I don’t like to sit for 8 hours straight and the thought of sitting at a desk in the same place every day drove me a little batty. I wanted something where I could have my own space to work (home office) but also the option to work from a coffee shop, or while out of town. And as far as a schedule goes, being able to make my own on hours that work for me just made so much sense. 

I’ve been laid off twice.

Yep, twice. The first time was at my second job out of college. I was with them for a couple years and the recession hit. They laid off over half the company! And then at my job after that, same thing. Some people will look at entrepreneurship as a risk, and yeah, sure it is…but there isn’t always a guarantee with a full-time job either. On the other hand, with entrepreneurship, you’re in control of your own destiny.

I saw an opportunity. 

A huge part of entrepreneurship is seeing a gap and knowing how you, your product, or your service can fill it. While working full-time for a restaurant group, I was also working on similar marketing projects with food brands and other restaurants. I knew that there were tons of opportunities out there because I was already finding them without even trying. If I put in a little effort, I could quickly replace the income from my full-time job by finding enough projects to make it work. And that’s exactly what I did. I’ve mentioned it before, but when I left Boston Burger Company, I had a) decided to keep them on as a client and b) lined up enough other projects to replace the income completely. From DAY 1. 

There is so much more money to be made. 

At some point in my last job I would’ve outgrown my role. Though the company was growing and I could’ve happily grown with them, there comes a point where your salary will be capped. It’s just the way it is. The beautiful thing about entrepreneurship is that there is no cap on your income. You can grow as much as you darn please and charge what you’re worth. I think that a lot of people fear not making as much, but let me tell you, if you put the work in you’ll be so much better off. To get specific, not only had I fully replaced my income from BBC by the time I left, within 6 months I surpassed the 6-figure mark. And then, about a year and a half later, I had doubled my income from my full-time job. 

I enjoy what I’m doing.

In order to succeed, you’ve gotta be totally driven, passionate, and excited about what you’re doing. Of course there are aspects of any career that aren’t fun, but for the most part if you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re more likely to succeed. I get to work with some really cool restaurants and fun food brands, and as a former food blogger, this industry just made sense for me. To be able to wake up every day and get excited about working (and not really feeling like it’s “work”) is the best thing.

If you’ve been contemplating starting a business, I strongly suggest you write out a list of reasons why you want to do so. A pros and cons list is another great way to look at the big picture too. By doing so, you’ll protect yourself from any unnecessary risks, and you may just confirm why you definitely should become an entrepreneur.