Busy-ness in Business
Why is this man laughing?
You know, you just keep your head down in your home office, day-by-day, doing the best you can for four years or so, and suddenly you look up and you’re paying rent for an office, hiring staff and working with great interns in service of some fantastic clients.
Funny enough, I never grew up dreaming of owning a business. As I recall, my dream jobs as a kid through young adulthood involved driving a garbage truck, piloting an Apollo lunar lander, being an actor and eventually being elected to the vice presidency of the United States.
Well, the garbage truck lost its appeal around age six, being an astronaut required much stronger math skills than I possess (and America stopped going to the moon anyway–low earth orbit doesn’t have quite the same allure, no disrespect to ISS astronauts intended), I was an actor for a while but found it ultimately a ridiculous profession, and my time in politics convinced me it isn’t much better.
Therefore, to earn a living I turn to two resources: my skills as a public relations consultant and writer. Thankfully, I make a living at both (though I must admit I wish I made a little more on the writing than I do). At first, I managed to juggle both jobs, but little by little the PR firm has taken more and more of my time. A fourth novel’s first draft languishes while I work on client projects, prospecting for new clients and trying to get more than seven hours of sleep a night. I recall hearing how hard self-employed people work when I was working for employers and thinking “No sweat, I can do that.”
Well, yes, I can do that–but I was wrong about the “no sweat” part.
Owning a business comes with sweat, be it actually perspiration or worry. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and suspect it beats being a garbage truck driver and even vice president (though Joe Biden always looks so darn happy…) but managing clients, projects, staff, interns, payroll, taxes, rent, landlords, salespeople, cash flow, long hours, work/life balance, etc. takes its toll on you.
The truth of the matter is simple: being in business necessitates a certain, unavoidable busy-ness. If you’re contemplating hanging out your shingle, know that simple truth. And get some sleep now, while you can.
