Although most business owners work just as hard or harder than people in traditional jobs, they normally have more flexibility in their schedules. This facet of business ownership appeals to people who feel strongly about goals that they have outside of work, like being home when their kids get off the school bus or doing volunteer work. Some people value this facet of business ownership so much that they’re willing to sacrifice some level of income for self-employment. This sentiment is affirmed by Margot James, a business owner who wrote,

Being your own boss also provides you the flexibility to build a business that is consistent with your personal values and ideas. For example, Chick-fil-A, a $2 billion chain of chicken restaurants, isn’t open on Sundays and places books and other “values-based” messages in its kids meals. These practices are a direct reflection of founder Truett Cathy’s personal values.

As indicated in Truth 1, “Why people start businesses,” sometimes starting a business is the only way people can fulfill their most important goals and aspirations. For example, there are heartfelt stories of people who have faced challenges in their lives, such as a child with a debilitating medical issue, who have had to create businesses to find a solution for their child’s problem because no other solution was available. In these instances, a person’s goals and aspirations quickly shift to finding relief for a loved one’s suffering or affliction.

Although most business owners work just as hard as or harder than people in traditional jobs, they normally have more flexibility in their schedules.

Other examples are less extreme but demonstrate a similar point. One example is Sue Schwaderer and Bill Lawrence. In the late 1990s, Schwaderer was making a six-figure income working for Oracle Software, and Lawrence was successful managing three apartment buildings they owned in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Although they were making good money, they didn’t enjoy their everyday life. “We were tired of never seeing each other and of too much business travel...too much traffic, too many people, too much noise,” Schwaderer recalls.^[2] The two left their life in Chicago behind and opened a 14-room bed and breakfast in picturesque Saugatuck, Michigan, a town of 1,000. Although the income from the bed and breakfast doesn’t match what they were making in Chicago, they are happier and enjoy the less hectic pace of a smaller town.

Finally, as expressed throughout this book, the ability to pursue a personal passion is the instrumental reason that many people start their own business. In many instances, the business returns to the owner a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that has a positive impact on his or her personal life.