Why Are Entrepreneurs So Happy?

By jason on Oct 12, 2010• 12 Comments
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  • http://www.facebook.com/gufunk David Gu

    Definitely makes me want to start my own business even more.

  • http://www.newthinktank.com newthinktank

    We are all in business for ourselves. The only difference is when you work for someone else you only have 1 customer. If you lose them your out of business. This 1 customer is normally an ass too!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-Biggs/100001444111486 Don Biggs

    I wish I could agree. It’s been my experience that entrepreneurs are some of the most miserable people on the planet. They are constantly acting out of fear, mistrust or compulsion. Their highly competitive personalities push them into a psychological need to make themselves feel better at the expense of their employees. They generally fail to understand and accept the fact that most people don’t share their attitudes, work ethic and passion about their business, especially when it bridges on mania.

    I’ve watched this happen again and again… Entrepreneurs are unusually driven individuals. They have positive attributes that are so amplified that they become toxic to those around them. They have a tendency to push employees, contractors, and suppliers to burn out levels, then jettison them for the next one, only repeating the process, chronically complaining to anyone that will listen that they are the only one that “gets it”, whatever “it” happens to be, that day.

  • http://ansacopeland.wordpress.com/ AC

    Not sure if this charts shows that entrepreneurs are happier or if happier people become entrepreneurs…or if there is any correlation at all. How do “non-entrepreneurs” answer these questions?

  • AC

    That doesn’t mean I dislike it. In fact, its additional “rational” for my plans.

  • Cherylhampton

    I feel bad for you that those are the only ones you’ve been exposed to. I know tons of people that run their own small businesses and they are all amazing and wonderful people. Yes there is stress related to being on your own, but at least its your own stress and your own time to deal with it. Way better than being stressed by a boss or company that you have no control over. If you handle it well, it is an amazing life working for yourself!

  • http://www.deepsky.co W. Michael Hsu

    Being an entrepreneur is tough, but the sense of accomplishment and knowing that you are able to make a difference is well worth it. I am happy. :)

  • http://wearenytech.com/64-mark-birch-investor-entrepreneur-trader Mark Birch

    Not sure what the methodology was to gather these stats, but I am pretty sure this is complete BS. If you interview entrepreneurs / small business owners on their level of happiness, you are going to run into major confirmation bias. Furthermore, as the vast majority of small businesses fail, I am pretty sure that the views of those who failed would overwhelmingly contradict these findings. Therefore, the result is that you are interviewing entrepreneurs who are succeeding and are inclined to be happy.

    It does not take a study to realize that people are happy when they are succeeding at something, whether they work for themselves or as a cog in the corporate wheel. Rather, we should recognize that people that find what they are good at and are doing that for a living are going to be happy. Some people are simply meant to be entrepreneurs and when they discover that latent desire, they will find something more permanent than mere happiness, they will find joy and contentment.

  • http://ideas8bottom.blogspot.com/ ANSHUL GUPTA

    I m very happy to see this!

  • Mike

    Entrepreneurs are very ambitious people. They work very hard and have major goals. That’s why they’re happy. Sure there are people like that in other professions but there is an abnormally high concentration in entrepreneurship.

    Also, I refute your argument that entrepreneurs are unhappy due to business failure. It’s the fact that the majority of businesses fail that makes it so rewarding. Failure is great, it is the medium of success. Only the ones that give up prematurely would have their happiness affected, but then they wouldn’t be entrepreneurs anymore would they?

  • http://wearenytech.com/64-mark-birch-investor-entrepreneur-trader Mark Birch

    Sounds like you worship at the altar of failure. Let me know how that feels.

    Entrepreneurship is touted as some incredible nirvana much like home ownership. Well guess what, that did not turn out so well. The fact is that many entrepreneurs are happy and fulfilled and just as many not.

    The real issue though is that the methodology for this infographic (and many others that are popping up all over the Internet) is at best suspect and at worst deceiving. It is merely reinforcing one’s viewpoint of entrepreneurship, a viewpoint mind you that has not been proven on way or another by a single scientific study. Happiness is not derived from entrepreneurship, happiness is derived from doing something that one enjoys.

  • Isabel

    That’s an interesting point. I wonder how many businesses, on average, entrepreneurs launch over the course of their lifetimes?