Finding Happiness as An Entrepreneur

By Allison Berman
July 22, 2008

I quit my job in the city to be a stay-at-home mom. The mom part was great, but I had a lot of trouble with the stay-at-home part. If I didn't like any other job, I would have found a new one and I decided even if my job was taking care of my family, the bottom line was I lacked the inspiration to be June Cleaver. Dr. Phil says, "If the momma aint happy, aint nobody happy". I was determined to find my own happiness, and that meant a new job.

I approached the job search like any other figuring out what I liked and disliked about being a stay-at-home mom. On the pros- I love taking care of the kids (most days), and cooking dinner (shocking considering I used to order in coffee when I lived in Manhattan). Cons-I hate to clean with a passion and the monotony of doing the same thing every day was getting to me. I wanted more of the hectic pace and creativity I had when I worked in marketing. My solution: I started my own business doing something that I love. I still take care of the kids myself and cook dinner most nights- but I hired someone to clean the house.

Are you reading this and saying to yourself, I am not the type to have my own business? I never saw myself as an entrepreneur either. I was always the creative one in my family growing up. I went into marketing because it was the most creative field I could think of where I could still pay my bills. I was terrified to start my business because I was smart enough to know, that I didn't know, what I didn't know, about running a business.

I discovered being an entrepreneur is nothing like working in corporate America. Nobody gives me "assignments" and there are no pats on the back for a job well done. You need to have the intrinsic motivation to stay on top of your work no matter how beautiful the weather is outside. And you need to give yourself the pats on the back, a good life skill regardless of your profession. (Note to self: teach kids to validate their success rather than waiting for someone else to do it).

A good entrepreneur is like a utility player. In addition to being good at your craft, be it as an artist or an attorney, you need to be good at everything from sales to customer service. I suppose it's not surprising that 95% of small businesses will fail within 5 years. The selling doesn't come naturally to me but I am working on it. I am happy to say I love my new job, now if only I could make each day a few hours longer...

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, handpaints custom home accessories for interior designers and private customers. She works out of her home studio in Warwick, NY. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at ali@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.