I Never Wanted To Be An Entrepreneur

…But Here I Go

Seriously, wasn’t on the bucket list. I saw my parents struggle so hard with work that never ended and bills that always needed paying.

But then I married an entrepreneur. We schemed together and I held down the “regular” job and we were happy with our situation. For many years, I was the one who brought home health insurance and made sure the mortgage got paid, and he was the one who took greater risks.

That shifted when we had kids, then it became enough that I held jobs that paid for the childcare — which sometimes felt like was bleeding us dry. I took on part-time work that gave me time to raise our small kids and was fulfilling.

Now I’m 40, I’ve been homeschooling the last couple of years, and next week I’m getting a business license.

I have dedicated my professional life to nonprofits. When I left my job, I envisioned freelancing my skills — grant writing, coordinating projects, and leading collaborations — while continuing my creative projects. But with my kids at home all day, I was wary of making new commitments. Now, my kids have been in school a month and I’m getting intriguing requests from former colleagues asking if I have time to take on special projects.

That thing I’ve always resisted, being an entrepreneur, doesn’t have to be separate from a creative life…and I’ve been doing it all along (well except during this rough spell). Whether I’m doing professional work, or peddling my essays and poems, or strategizing with my husband about his business — it’s all part of that same spirit of taking risks and living this one good life with purpose.