In my research of 'how careers are made', i had primarily studied corporate professionals due to my own background and 'entertainment professionals' due to my wife's background. However, as i have progressed, and understood the DNA of corporate professionals, challenges of entrepreneurial careers have fascinated me more than corporate careers. It has perhaps happened due to my closer interaction with entrepreneur friends.
I consider all those professionals as 'entrepreneurs' who run their business with their unique individual stamp. Entrepreneurs come in different hues: as a individual trainer like a freelancer, an accountant who manages his firm with a group of employees, or an entrepreneur who runs his single business enpire of 200 crores in his individual style. Some entrepreneurs are young and some are with gray hair. Some are pioneering new ideas, some are extending the existing ones.
But all entrepreneurs face similar challenges in their career to achieve their dreams. And because they face similar challenges, it could be helpful to share them in one forum such as this. I can think of five big challenges.( If i have missed something important, please share!)
Firstly, the interconnection between work-life, personal-life and people-life in an entrepreneur's life is dense. Due to this dense interconnection, entrepreneurs bring far more 'emotions' in their work-life, and use lot of 'head' in their personal life. This is both good and bad, depending on which side you stand.
Second challenge of entrepreneur emerges because of being owners of a system. Because of being 'owners of system', they think they can 'maneuver' the system the way they want. But they are as much 'prisoners' of a system as are employees! This misunderstanding pushes them into action that leads them into uncharted territories.
Third challenge emerges due to more 'action' orientation in an entrepreneur's work-life. As entrepreneurs, they have to be more action-oriented. This leads to very curious consequences. Instead of taking action from a careful thought, they tend to 'make' their thought to justify the action that has been taken. Psychologist call it retrospective rationality. After a period, this tends to mix 'thought and action'. This does not create any problem until they are succeeding. This however becomes a big issue when they encounter 'failure'.
Fourth challenge is a common challenge: the challenge of aligning 'doing' aspirations with' money' aspirations. After they succeed, they want to find a way to 'do things that they are happy with as well as earn money from the same activity'. Some entrepreneurs, unable to find a way, give up too early while others struggle till the end of their lives.
Fifth challenge is the challenge of balancing people-life ( relationships) and work-life. Managing a business is a pretty hectic and tough ask. Finding time to spend on both is just one part of the challenge; but the bigger challenge is separating the 'social' and 'family' relationships.
Here is a blog space to share, explore and find better ways to face your career challenges as entrepreneurs. Coming from my vantage point, to start with, i have something to offer. However, as the challenges and dreams are about your life, this forum will help you get clarity and direction if you share your doubts, ask your questions , and also bring your wisdom on the table. I can promise one thing: the journey of achieving your dreams will be exciting.
