Do Not Fall For Entrepreneurial FOMO

Toiling for the man is not for me.

Soon after college, I worked as a retirement counselor for TIAA-CREF, an insurance and retirement fund for educational institutions, founded by Andrew Carnegie.  

TIAA-CREF in the early ’80s was run like a ’60s throwback. 

We dictated letters to a steno pool, using the military alphabet to spell out names and addresses. We worked an extra hour Monday through Thursday and got Fridays off in the summer. With every promotion, we got a slightly larger cubicle and a fractionally bigger desk made of marginally higher quality plastic. 

Initiative was kryptonite.

No one cared about coming up with better, faster ways to work. The slow pace and rigid culture drove me nuts. I left and spent most of my life running my own business. 

Feels like everyone on social media is an entrepreneur hustling and wants you to join the party. Few are honest about the brutal realities of being a small-business owner.

Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating and feel heroic. It can be rewarding, fulfilling, and the mother of growth experiences. But — no judgment — it’s not for everyone.

For me, small business was part DNA and part conditioning. My parents ran a car rental agency in the French Caribbean. I watched them deal with crisis after crisis, from car wrecks to psycho customers. I loved the excitement.

But just as I wasn’t wired to work for TIAA-CREF, you may not be wired for the uncertainty, chaos, and stress of entrepreneurship. Do not fall for FOMO! Stay happy in your big company job.

Photo credit: Christian Erfurt on Unsplash