Entrepreneurs find more enjoyment in their jobs than other workers

Entrepreneurs know it’s a hard road, are happy anyway

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. Many people are initially attracted to the thought of being able to work for themselves and abide by their own rules and parameters, but then stray away at the realization that the amount of their next paycheck, if there’s a check to be made at all, will be determined by the success of their business. A recent Gallup study does show that entrepreneurs are slightly more likely to be stressed and worried throughout the course of the day. However the results also show entrepreneurs are more likely to receive more positive benefits than other workers as well.

Of the more than 273,000 interviews held during the research period, 71 percent of entrepreneurs acknowledged that they learned or did something “interesting” the previous day as opposed to 66 percent of other workers. Entrepreneurs were three percent more likely to experience enjoyment the previous day. And when asked about their outlook on life five years from now, 30 percent of entrepreneurs saw themselves living their best possible life compared to only 25 percent of survey participants.

Controls were put in place for marital status, ethnicity, age, gender, income, etc.; but even with these factors controlled for, entrepreneurs still reported slightly higher levels of interest and satisfaction during their work day than other workers.

Entrepreneurs and stress levels

Entrepreneurs are likely to experience higher levels of stress as they are tasked with securing capital to get their business started and maintain the finances and operations of the business on a daily basis in order for it to succeed. Workers who don’t own their own business also have reason to experience stress on a daily basis, but in relation to the responsibilities of an entrepreneur, they are likely to experience a lesser amount of stress.

However, even with the challenges of starting and maintaining a business, the study shows that entrepreneurs do it because they have an interest in what they do and enjoy doing it. They’re more likely to learn something new because they are constantly working to better improve their business, and they also believe that with the hard work they put in now, they will achieve the goals and status in life that they want faster than they could at a non-entrepreneurial job. Researchers do acknowledge that the differences found in entrepreneurs and other workers is slight, however the numbers do show that entrepreneurs may get more enjoyment, and find their day more purposeful, than others.