Just got back from my holidays and had this topic lingering at the back of mind the whole week I was off. Why this topic? It all stared with a LinkedIn post…
I have got to stop looking at Linkedin, it drives me nuts sometimes, if not slack, it’s LinkedIn, I really gotta get my tiktok account. Stat. Sigh.
So yea, saw a LinkedIn post, something about we should have 7 billion companies, each for every single person out there and that will be a success 🤯 umm ok. Look, i’m all for opinions. Everyone has one.
Point is, stuff like this is dangerous. It kinda reminds me of those ads I use to see when I was a kid of Coca cola around Christmas, I never wanted to drink coca cola, and never associated Christmas with it, but overtime it got ingrained in me, Coca cola = Christmas.
Hell, it ain’t Christmas until coke ads come up and their cans get the whole santa look.
Ok, so after that post I see another peddling hustle porn, create your own company, don’t work for an employer, break free yada yada.
And another, and another. Either my LI feed is filled with people that use LI as an echo chamber or something is really off. There is no harm in using a platform that you have access to, to share what you believe in. I believe it’s great that people are sharing content, giving advice and motivating people.
I’m doing the same exact thing. My concern and the reason for writing this blogpost, is that we are creating a dangerous precedent with constantly making entrepreneurship look like the be all, end all “it” thing in life.
The “everyone should be an entrepreneur” myth
There is this notion going around in society (more prevalent on LI) that if you aren’t entrepreneurial or don’t have a side hustle then you’re less than. This is so untrue and downright dangerous.
It’s kind of like the same thing that folks I speak to tell me over and over again is that they see people on Instagram “living life” while they are working a day job, 9-5. I legitimately ask them the same Q, what is so wrong working a job? or for someone else?
Look, we all don’t have the same opportunities. We all go through different paths in life, different experiences, have different backgrounds, are born in different countries, have different dreams and aspirations and that is what makes us all unique.
Peddling the fact that everyone should be an entrepreneur is like expecting everyone to run 20km every day, it just won’t happen.
Something my mom used to tell me, “if everyone is famous, then no one is famous”. So if everyone is an entrepreneur, no-one is an entrepreneur. Having your own company or putting yourself out there is a tough gig. I should know I have been (un)successfully trying to get my blog and podcast going for almost 2 years now 😅.
It takes hard work, commitment, and dedication. But most importantly you need to have a very strong “why” behind it all. Why do you want to have this side hustle, will you be unhappy without having this gig? If the answer is yes, by all means go for it, and go all in.
But just because you have a side hustle and it’s working for you, does not mean it’s everyone’s cup of tea. Some folks don’t want the responsibility of having to deal with a multitude of issues that come with opening your company. I read a statistic somewhere that said that apparently 9 out of 10 startups fail. I don’t know about you but I do not like those odds. Does not mean you shouldn’t start your own hustle because of fear of failure or a stat.
No, absolutely not. Everyone should do what they think is best for them. But we must not create a trend or peddle BS where we are deliberately making people feel like shit just because they have a day job and the fact that they like it. If you’re a “thought leader”, the onus is on you to make sure that the advice you give out or the motivational content you push it’s more grounded and contains a more level headed approach to everything. Because the people you are sharing your words with, they respect and or the most part trust what you are saying.
I guess folks feeling bad about the fact that they are not self employed is what keeps these “influencers” making more money and that’s just sad.
