| Being a spare room entrepreneur is more | | | | can't expect always to be doing what we |
| than just a way of making a living, it | | | | love. Striving for balance in our lives |
| is a way of living your life. | | | | is a never-ending challenge. Most of us |
| It isn't an easy way to live. In the | | | | discover that we must establish clear |
| past, being in business independently | | | | boundaries between our personal lives |
| was the norm, and people typically | | | | and our careers in order to preserve our |
| worked and lived in the same place. That | | | | health, our families, and our sanity. |
| isn't the case today, when most people | | | | Nevertheless, even those who draw that |
| are employees. Everyone from the tax | | | | line most distinctly still view their |
| collector to our mothers would | | | | businesses as embodiments of their |
| understand us better if we would just go | | | | personal talents and values. |
| out and get a job. | | | | It is true that there are also many |
| Moreover, many of us who choose | | | | employees who hope that their work will |
| independence make the further decision | | | | utilize their talents and enable them to |
| to stay small. This contradicts a | | | | have a lasting and positive impact on |
| popular conception of entrepreneurship, | | | | the world. In general, though, our |
| which holds that everyone wants to run a | | | | culture doesn't support such |
| big business and get rich. If you want | | | | aspirations. We are encouraged to view |
| to be a spare room entrepreneur, then, | | | | our paycheck as full recompense for our |
| get ready to bemisunderstood. | | | | labors, while personal satisfaction is |
| When I talk about spare room | | | | to be found in our private lives, which |
| entrepreneurs, I often find myself | | | | will be made more elaborate, exciting |
| describing what we aren't. We aren't | | | | and fulfilling by all that money can |
| unemployed. We aren't between jobs. We | | | | buy. |
| don't loll around all day in our | | | | During an airplane flight, I read an |
| pajamas. We aren't failing just because | | | | article in a business magazine. It |
| we're not taking on new employees and | | | | argued that seeing your business as an |
| tripling our business each year. We | | | | outgrowth of yourself is a sickness. The |
| aren't idle just because we're home, | | | | article said that we should view our |
| nor, by contrast, are we workaholics | | | | businesses solely as ways to make a lot |
| just because our home lives and our | | | | of money as quickly as we can. Then we |
| productive lives frequently overlap. | | | | should use that money to live the lives |
| It is more difficult, given that spare | | | | we want. For some this might be |
| room entrepreneurs are so disparate and | | | | relaxation on a small tropical island, |
| represent so many different, strongly | | | | but it could also mean writing a novel, |
| held views, to make a positive statement | | | | engaging in philanthropy, living a life |
| of what we are. | | | | of prayer and contemplation, or playing |
| My interviewing convinces me, however, | | | | the stock market. |
| that we do have some important common | | | | This argument is attractive because it |
| characteristics. One is that we are | | | | identifies entrepreneurship with the |
| impatient. We want to do what we want to | | | | core beliefs of our society about |
| do when we want to do it, without | | | | getting and spending. Moreover, it feeds |
| waiting for someone else to give us | | | | into our fantasies of riches and |
| permission. And while anxieties and | | | | freedom. It implies that fabulous wealth |
| insecurities are our frequent | | | | is lying around for the taking, |
| companions, we have a very high | | | | available to all. I know I'd love to |
| estimation of our own abilities. We're | | | | have enough money to realize all my |
| people who don't exactly fit in, and are | | | | dreams, and so would the rest of the |
| proud not to. We may make our own | | | | people in this world. |
| mistakes sometimes, but we despise | | | | But I also understand enough about the |
| making somebody else's. Most of us | | | | culture I live in to know that I would |
| recall, even as children, having an | | | | then begin to have more expensive |
| independent streak and all the troubles | | | | dreams, and that I'd have to keep |
| and rewards that such a personality can | | | | laboring to realize those. I'd never be |
| bring. And while I haven't found any | | | | able to disentangle the price of my |
| research that backs this up, many of us | | | | material indulgences from my value as a |
| come from families with members who were | | | | person. |
| in business for themselves. | | | | Our lives consist not just in how we |
| What are we looking for is money, | | | | spend our money but also, and probably |
| naturally, but we shouldn't be too quick | | | | more crucially, in what we do to earn |
| to accept that as the only answer. For | | | | it. Our work is the way in which we have |
| all the people in this book, business is | | | | an impact on our place and our times. We |
| more than making money. It is how they | | | | express ourselves in the world through |
| express themselves in the world. They | | | | our work. You can't simply avert your |
| can't say that what they do is just a | | | | eyes from what you do and still be the |
| job--because it is not just a job. | | | | sort of person you want to be. You can't |
| What we are looking for, I think, is | | | | just buy a good life. You have to live a |
| integrity. We are seeking to integrate | | | | good life. And though many of us might |
| all our interests, talents, personality, | | | | shy away from such grand pronouncements, |
| and character into a way of life that | | | | living a good life is what most spare |
| expresses who we are. | | | | room entrepreneurs are trying to do. |
| Of course, we need to compromise; we | | | | |