What It’s Really Like to Be a Business Owner

“Start a jiu jitsu school,” they said. “You’ll have the easy life,” they said.

I’m not sure who said that, but I’ve certainly heard a lot of … interesting opinions about business ownership, and plenty of unsolicited advice related to how a business could be run better.

In sum, I’ve heard plenty of myths about business ownership that I want to address today, at least briefly. I thank you in advance for this indulgence.

Financial Myths

I think it’s fair to say that I’ve got some experience running a business. Over the last 25 years, I’ve steadily evolved from wannabe entrepreneur to full-fledged business owner, with plenty of nasty bumps in the road along the way.

One thing that’s been consistent: people almost always assume I make more money than I do, or that I’m richer than I am, or something similar along those lines. Why?

I think a lot of it stems from a game people play. Let’s call this game “Top Line .” You win the game by guessing how much income a business has, and then by pretty …