A Corporate Life NOT for Me

I am not kidding. I wake up almost every single day for the last six years and thank the business gods that I am not going to a corporate job. Sometimes you just never know how much you didn't like working for someone else until you're NOT working for someone else. I started working when I was 16. I worked several jobs until I hit my late 30s when a terrible malaise set in. I remember literally sitting at my desk at my old office one day and realizing I didn't want to be there. I am not the type of worker who would just get up and leave a job, but on that particular day I just wanted to leave and run for the nearest exit. So many other times in the past, a raise would have nullified my angst or a super plum project, but in those last couple of years nothing seemed to quell the rising tide of angst, restlessness and unhappiness. I even tried switching jobs for a year -- and that just made it worse. The truth was, I didn't want to work for people anymore. I was tired of building other people's businesses, often not getting the recognition or money I deserved, and just getting through to the next day. Does my story sound familiar? Many corporate workers are probably nodding "yes".

At some point in your career journey, you have to decide when enough is enough. I had had enough. I've been an entrepreneur for six years now. Is it always easy? No, it has its challenges. Sometimes it gets tiring having to "sing for my supper". But a few tap dances and show tunes hummed do not compare to the unhappiness I felt having to work for someone else. 3L Publishing is the result of a lot dancing and singing. I had a rough year this year no doubt -- and not just related to sales. In fact, sales for the first two quarters were impressive and double that of last year. No, I had some personal tragedy and some business dealings gone wrong. But the healing has begun, and I'm back to my normal, cheerful, driven self. In fact, we are extricating the company out of a stinky relationship with our distributor and some fallout will continue from that in the next two months, but when it's done it will be done. So, I'm back to the normal morning realization -- I don't work for anyone! And that Friend-Os is always a glorious feeling.