The best way I know if you are a true entrepreneur…

…is the pain of being an employee is more than the pain of being an entrepreneur. To me, the biggest pain for me being an employee is…

Abstract illustration about being an employee versus working for yourself

Giving up control

Giving up control over the company direction and culture
Giving up control over who I hire
Giving up control over the product
Giving up control how much I can earn

And giving up control for

Steady income
(Maybe) some shares in the company
Paid time off
Fixed working hours, and no work for the weekends

To me, it’s not worth it. Is being an entrepreneur then worth it?

Well, being an entrepreneur has its trade off. You trade control by taking the risks. This can mean…

Not having income or high income for some period of time as you figure out how to make money
Working more than a 9 - 5 as you figure out how to make money
Hiring or partnering people who are not worth your time, effort and money
Having to have uncomfortable and hard conversations with yourself and other people
Getting rejected, and failing a lot, because you lack the skills to make money

To me, this is the trade off I’m willing to take. Because after 7 years of being an employee, freelancer and entrepreneur, I get the most stressed if I am not in control.

There is nothing wrong being an employee or freelancer. But I rather earn $3000 being an entrepreneur, than $3000 being an employee.