I Am Not An Entrepreneur At Heart

Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash

There has been a rising trend in the last decade that I seem caught up in. Like all trends, it has created both a positive and a negative effect. The push for everyone to become an entrepreneur, to find a way to monetize everything we do, has never been stronger.  I understand where it comes from. Who doesn't want a more money in the bank or to be validated by being paid well for following our passions? At my core I do, but for me there is more to the idea of being an entrepreneur, and not all of it calls me.

When I fell into my passion at age 50, it was with a leap of faith and I am so grateful I did. I absolutely loved interviewing people. That still holds true today. The pandemic has played havoc with my passion as the best interviews are face to face, alone in a room, with the real person sharing their story.  Every person has an energy about them that comes through their eyes, their voice and their body.  I can do interviews through the phone and zoom and capture a hint of their energy, but it really doesn't replace the in person experience. 

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Along with interviewing, I needed to embrace writing. The fact I would give their story wings in a magazine article is what opened the doors for me to book more one-on-ones. Writing always came fairly easy, but I had no experience writing professional pieces or even knew exactly what was expected. It had been along time since my university days.  There was a huge learning curve, and many tears, but I improved through sheer practice and honest feedback.

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

That little bit of background leads me to today and my feelings on myself as an entrepreneur.  I am first and foremost an interviewer and writer who occasionally steps on stage to speak. The terms freelance writer and published author are probably the descriptive words I feel the most accurate of how I view my career.  I have never once in my life wanted to own my own business - to be an entrepreneur.  However, as both a freelance writer and self-published author, I have had to embrace the responsibilities of taking care of business. 

To be honest, I'm not great at that part of the equation. If I focus on marketing and promotion, if I focus on opportunities to speak and sell my books, my daily writing practice suffers. My creativity suffers. If I focus mostly on my writing and interviewing, the creative side soars but the business end of things suffer. It's a conundrum I face every day and one I still haven't found a full solution to. 

In the end, I am a writer/author/interviewer who has to step into the role of entrepreneur to give wings to what I write. I do it the best I can and give it my all while I am doing it. But at the end of the day I always return with relief to embrace my passion as quickly as possible.  If I ever start bringing in those big royalty checks, my first investment will be an assistant to handle the business side, but for now it rests squarely on my shoulders. 

Are you an artist who feels the same way? What solutions or tricks have you found to help ease the burden of dealing with the business side of your passion? I am dying to hear a new angle on how to approach this in a new way.