Owning my own business ~ 2011-04-06

I dislike big business in general. With very few exceptions, I feel that big business (and big government) are among the most destructive forces in our society. They attempt to take away our personal freedoms and responsibilities in exchange for comfort; security; a life of ease. Big businesses lure you in with promises of security in many forms: Health insurance, job security, never having to think about where your next meal is coming from, a company vehicle... the list goes on. Meanwhile, the few at the top are raking in sickeningly huge paychecks and gaining power and influence over nearly every aspect of our lives.

Somebody once said that government cannot give you anything that it has not first taken from you. I believe the same principle applies to big business. Every 'benefit' you receive is something they can afford to give you with the money that they made by extracting labor from you.

Furthermore, I believe that the larger a company grows the less productive it becomes. Too much inefficiency slips through the huge cracks that develop. Big business generates employees that generally lack motivation and innovation. It creates laziness and irresponsibility. I'm sure most of you have seen this in the workplace and know just what I'm talking about.

Who is the hardest working person around? Most will agree it's the small business owner. Why? Because the burden of his or her success rests squarely on their own shoulders. I have always wanted to be my own boss; to be a small business owner. Because I liked the long hours? No. Because I desire the freedom to chart my own course and I do not shrink from the work or the responsibility.

That being said, I have not always owned my own business as I do now. I spent 6 or 8 years working for other small to medium sized businesses and 3 years working for one large corporation. In spite of the fact that I believed in what the large corporation was doing, it was a miserable experience for me, after a life of work and productivity.

The bottom line? Owning my own business is stressful, but the freedom is worth it. Once in a while somebody tries to get me to come work for them, but they have yet to offer me a better deal than what I can do on my own, and their health plans and false sense of security mean nothing to me. I hope I never have to go back.

And a final thought... the time you spend at work is about a third of your life; If you find yourself dreading each morning and watching the clock all day for breaks and quitting time, you are probably not in the right profession! Do something that is meaningful to you with the brief time you have upon this Earth.