It’s that time of the year again when ya’ll start telling people to quit their jobs and start a business.
Entrepreneur advice on social media is leading a lot of people astray. Here are my top pet peeves.
Telling People to Quit their Jobs
Please stop this.
There is nothing wrong with people working a traditional 9-5 or working in corporate America. Starting and running a business has a lot to do with lifestyle more than anything else. We all have different ways of life, and some of our lives aren’t conducive to the entrepreneurial arena. It can also be a mental thing. Some people are stressed out mentally from their 9-5s and want to try something new. But at the same time, some people love their jobs.
There is also the misconception that entrepreneurs work for themselves. But, the truth is even entrepreneurs depend on other people to make money. If people didn’t want to read my books/writings, there would be no one to buy them. If the hairdresser doesn’t have people who want to get their hair done, there is no business. There is no business if people don’t want to listen to your music. There is no business if people don’t buy your products/services.
“Six Figure Earner”
This really grinds my gears.
First, when did it become cool to tell people how much money we make? I thought people who had money didn’t talk about it? Now, everywhere you look, people are talking about being six and seven-figure earners. It’s giving elitist vibes. Like ya’ll can’t sit with us type.
People are even screenshotting their PayPal and Stripe accounts and posting them to the gram. Like huh? Before you call me a hater, ask yourself if this is good business sense. Heck, is it safe? The same thing applies to taking pictures of your house keys. Congrats on the house, but it takes nothing to copy a key. My husband works in the apartment industry so I know. Post something else, but not your house keys, baby.
But I digress.
Here is why I think someone calling themselves a six figure earner can be misleading:
- Are you making six figures consistently or did you make a mil one time and started calling yourself a millionaire?
- How much taxes are you paying out of that six figures?
- How much of that do you have to pay to employees or put back into the work?
- How much of that goes toward bills and household maintenance?
The next time you feel discouraged by somebody you see on the internet, remember that social media shows us very little about how people live their lives. Many entrepreneurs still work a 9-5 to fund their businesses, and there’s nothing wrong with this unless you pretend you don’t for clout.
Missy – “Ooh. I have one.”
EC – “Missy. I’m trying to talk to the people.”
Missy – “But I’m your pet and I have a pet peeve.”
EC – “Go ahead girl. What’s your Pet Peeve?”
Missy: “Okay, okay. Okay.” *wags tail*
EC – “Missy…”
Missy – “Okay. Okay. What gets under my fur is how there aren’t any pictures of me on this blog. Not one single photograph.”
EC – “Missy, that doesn’t have anything to do with entrepreneurship.”
Missy – “But you are gonna let me get my own Instagram right, right?”
EC – “No.”
Missy – “Why not?”
EC – “You don’t have a purpose for an Instagram. All you wanna do is post selfies all day.”
Missy – “What’s wrong with that?”
EC – “I said what I said.”
Sorry about that. She thought because this was called “Pet Peeves,” I was supposed to talk about her.
Yes, I am an entrepreneur. Full time. But I don’t believe in shaming other people into becoming one if it’s not something they are really passionate about doing.
The PBS Blog 