Corporate Life VS Entrepreneurship

In a recent Wings Mobile Detailing podcast, I sat down with franchisee Arsalan Karimi to talk about what it means to transition from life working for a corporation to the life of an entrepreneur. He’s a good authority on the subject, having made the switch himself and starting his first Wings Mobile Detailing Franchise It was a great discussion that touched many bases and explored many areas. We hope you find our insights useful:

But first, no one should say that one type of life is objectively better than the other. Each type of life has its ups and downs. One shouldn’t take the attitude, therefore, that either of these two directions is definitely superior. In the end, it really depends on your personality type, your personal situation and what exactly you want to get out of your working life.

There are many advantages to the steadier, more predictable and scheduled life of a corporate worker. It allows people to make plans and not have them dashed by a sudden crisis. It also allows them to plan for the future, and provides a sense of security.

The entrepreneur, too, gains many advantages, chiefly the freedom to work on what they want, as they want and when they want.

A man staring out a window

They can have as much growth, satisfaction and financial reward as they are willing to work for. That’s an exciting option for many.

Naturally, the two also come with their share of tougher aspects. The corporate life means years of grind, with reward and progress being almost imperceptible on the week-to-week scale. The entrepreneur has unimaginable stress levels as they risk everything on a venture that statistics say is more likely to fail within a year or two.

Which fits you best?

There’s a definite personality type that suits each type of life better. The differences, advantages and disadvantages all point to the fact that each life suits different personality types. When you understand your own personality, and which traits suit either the corporate or entrepreneurial life, then you understand better which one is the best path for you.

The typical entrepreneur, for instance, is something of a workaholic. They relish the task of working from dawn to dusk and then some. They also are excited by the unknowns of the job, like suddenly having to put in another 5 hours of work to deal with a very sudden problem.

This is what they live for. Beyond that, the entrepreneur is also a natural risk-taker, and willing to gamble all they have on the potential reward greater than any salary-based job could give them.

Your average corporate life personality, on the other hand, while being hardworking, also is very aware that their job finishes at a certain time each day and each week. When the clock reads a certain time, they can “switch off” their work mode, go home and enjoy their evening. At weekends, they can make plans with their friends and family. They are a personality that enjoys structure, stability and a life that allows them to plan and predict. They are not natural risk-takers, but are equally steadfast and disciplined enough to stay their course for as long as it takes to keep that sense of security.

A man rubbing his trim of his nose

Next, most people want the entrepreneurial life, even if they’re not suited to the journey. Personalities aside, it is a fact that a lot of people do want the entrepreneur’s life. It is seen as a ticket to a very real and lasting freedom --- both financial and personal --- in which they can focus entirely on what they want to do with their lives. Those who take the plunge do so to try and achieve that freedom. It doesn’t always work out, though. Some corporate types are consumed by “grass is always greener” syndrome. They think being an entrepreneur is what they want probably just because they don’t have that life. Upon taking the leap, many will go back into the relative safety of the corporate world, and that’s good for them.

Fourth, it’s essential to love what you do. Controversial as he may be these days, Donald Trump put it well when he said that entrepreneurs and people in business have to love what they do. Otherwise, how could they make it through the tough times? It’s a veritable roller coaster, the life of an entrepreneur. It brings up very strong emotions both positive and negative, and anyone wanting to engage with that lifestyle needs to be ready for that.

Entrepreneurship will bring out the best version of yourself. One thing that is really unique to entrepreneurship is how it helps your best qualities to emerge and grow. In the corporate world, so much of your work is compartmentalized, that you end up focusing on the same things day-to-day. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, find themselves doing everything in their work. If they want to boot sales, they have to learn to get better at it, and to market the company better, as well as run things more efficiently. It all comes down to them, 100 percent, and that is a path to true growth and development.

Finally, you have to be ready to deal with setbacks in the entrepreneurial world. While all of us deal with setbacks in life, including the corporate types, they are certainly more pronounced for entrepreneurs. People in business can’t always see their end goals, and have to work day by day, reacting to events and steadily adapting themselves to new situations. Those in the corporate world have setbacks that are easier to predict, at least, and have more people and resources to pool together and solve. As an entrepreneur, a setback can push you into feelings of depression, which you then have to force yourself to overcome to find a solution, since it’s all on you now.

In the end, an entrepreneur is a person who can commit to completing the small things of everyday business every single day. In doing so, they build momentum that gets them back on track even when times are hard. They tweak their business and make adjustments to fit new circumstances, and their passion for their business keeps them going.

Start Your Own Journey

If you’ve been feeling that the corporate life isn’t the one for you, then you can kick-start your own entrepreneurial dream with a Wings Mobile Detailing franchise opportunity. You’ll be surprised at just how much of a boost it could be to achieving your goals and living your best life. Get in touch with us today to learn more.

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