I was a corporate soldier for nearly 15 years and now an entrepreneur for several years longer than that. Although there are some exciting and educational aspects to working for a well-known international corporation, the person you become is entirely different from the one you become as an entrepreneur.
Each has benefits, but depending on your values and disposition, one will serve you better than the other. It all comes down to the need or necessity for restriction vs. freedom, conformity vs. flexibility, and subjection vs. independence.
The most interesting aspect I have noticed between the two is the person you become. Both offer opportunities for personal development and learning, but only as an entrepreneur can you control the curriculum. In addition, your growth and learning are truly personal as an entrepreneur.
I must point out that a growing number of relatively new companies encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. They do this by giving their employees nearly total freedom in how they do their jobs, dress, and style their hair. These freedoms enable people to be more creative, productive, and satisfied.
In most cases, it is the degree to which a company’s environment, values, and product or service align with your needs, principles, and passions. A perfect match is rare when working for a corporation. But there is a greater chance of an ideal match when working for yourself as an entrepreneur.
It doesn’t matter how much success you have monetarily in either pursuit. What matters is the level of health, fulfillment, and happiness you have. The degree to which you have these three things will determine how successful you are.
I will now give you an outline of a corporate soldier versus an entrepreneur based on my experience in doing both for about a decade and a half.
A corporate soldier…
- Is indoctrinated and eventually brainwashed into the corporate system.
- Adapts to the environment and philosophy of the corporation.
- Surrenders to corporate directives, whether they fully agree or not.
- Molds themselves to the corporate style in their appearance, manner, and mindset.
- Develops themselves as dictated by corporate management.
- Frequently, must do things they do not want to do, believe are time-wasting (e.g., frequent meetings), or do not align with their (actual, forgotten, or ignored) values.
- Must work with people they may not like or who do not align with their principles.
- Spends 30-70% of their time in meetings, depending on the level of their position.
- Spends their days as directed by their superiors.
- Constructs their daily schedule as directed by their superiors.
- Works the number of days and hours dictated by corporate policy and superiors.
- Dresses and styles their hair as dictated by corporate policy.
- Takes vacations for the duration as dictated by corporate policy and on the dates they have received approval from their superiors.
- Gets free travel to locations and events with people they may or may not like.
- Gets medical insurance through a company the corporation chooses.
- Trades their time for money.
- Can be transferred to another city, state, or country, which they may not like.
- Can be passed over, demoted, laid off, or fired at any time.
An entrepreneur…
- Develops their way of doing things in a way that makes them happiest.
- Creates an environment that aligns with their personality, values, and goals.
- Never violates their principles or works with anyone who does.
- Grows into being more of their authentic selves as each year passes and they choose how they behave and think.
- Develops themselves toward the image they envision and past the limitations of a corporate soldier, by default, just by being an entrepreneur.
- Occasionally must do unpleasant business chores, but does them happily.
- Never engages in time-wasting activities or anything not aligned with their values.
- Controls who they spend time with and how long.
- Spends 0-15% of their time in meetings.
- Spends their days doing exactly as they want.
- Creates their schedule exactly as they want and in a way that serves them best.
- Works the days and hours that are the most productive and convenient for them.
- Dresses and styles their hair exactly as they want.
- Takes vacations exactly to the duration and on the dates they want.
- Gets tax write-off for business travel to locations and with people they like.
- Selects medical, dental, and vision insurance with a company they choose.
- Receives income 24-7-365 as an internet entrepreneur.
- Can move to another city, state, or country they like any time they choose.
- Can never be passed over, demoted, laid off, or fired.
I am a completely different person now as an entrepreneur than I was as an ignorant, robotic, and arrogant corporate soldier. I am incredibly grateful that I have not spent the second half of my career being a corporate soldier.
If I had stayed in the corporate world, I probably would have had lots of money and power, a gigantic house, two vacation homes, and several expensive cars—none of which I value or want. But as an entrepreneur who has downsized to the max, I have zero debt, no loans of any kind, and few, if any, interruptions, and I am much healthier, happier, and freer. I am also a better person living authentically and peacefully, not as some contrived version of myself.
Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. And that’s okay. The change would be challenging if you have a spouse and children.
If it weren’t for the low-cost and flexible lifestyle business model that the internet enables, I doubt that I would have become an entrepreneur. It fits me perfectly.
However, due to the low-cost and flexible lifestyle of an e-business, anyone can give it a go, even in their spare time, as many people are doing now. Several articles on this site can help you get a head start on creating your own income-generating website.
When I left the corporate world, I received some great advice. My former boss (R.L.), a man I respected and admired, paraphrased a line from Shakespeare when he said to me, “Be true to yourself.” Although it has been a struggle at times, I have, and I am pleased.