The facts are in—entrepreneurs are happier and healthier than employees.

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Seems counterintuitive, right? Business owners can work long hours, face complex problems, and carry a heavy load of stress—with no guarantee of success.

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At least, that’s what you get told. And it couldn’t be more wrong.

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Two new studies reveal the truth.

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The first, from Baylor University, found that entrepreneurs are subjectively happier.¹ In other words, they feel better. Why? Because they…

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• Have a greater sense of autonomy
• Feel a closer connection to their purpose
• Apply their skills and passions to their work
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The second study, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012, showed that entrepreneurs are far happier than employees.² Even the high number of unsuccessful entrepreneurs didn’t change the results. Entrepreneurs, regardless of income, were happier than even highly paid corporate officers.

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And it wasn’t just the entrepreneurs. The study from Baylor proved that the presence of small businesses improved the health of surrounding communities.³ The more entrepreneurs, the greater the health of the neighborhood.

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The takeaway?

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Start a business. It doesn’t have to be a stressful, high-stakes tech startup. Just an outlet for your skills that also pays you.

The research seems to show that yes, entrepreneurs are born.

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This excellent article from Entrepreneur breaks down the data. And both a survey of twins and exploration of data suggest that entrepreneurial tendencies are inheritable.

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In other words, some people are just born entrepreneurs.

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But there’s an important caveat that the article wisely includes.

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Having entrepreneurial tendencies doesn’t guarantee you’ll be successful.

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That’s because success is determined by experience. Research shows that age and industry knowledge play a crucial role in determining entrepreneur success.¹

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Think of it like this…

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That urge you have to create and accomplish and seize opportunities? You’re born with that.

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Converting that drive into a successful business? That’s made.

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Entrepreneurs are born. Successful entrepreneurs are made.

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So if you’re driven to own your own business, what steps have you taken to become a successful entrepreneur?

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Have you started a side hustle? Have you found a support network of aspiring entrepreneurs? What about a mentor who’s started a successful business?

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Find those, and you might be on the path towards turning your entrepreneurial potential into successful business reality.

There is no single path to entrepreneurship.

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Entrepreneurs come from every country, background, skillset, and career you can think of.

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They’re an assortment of dropouts, dreamers, stay-at-home moms, restless executives, blue collar workers, the young, the old, and everyone in between.

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What they all have in common is boldness—they see an opportunity, and they seize it.

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Will they become successful entrepreneurs? That depends. If they find the right opportunity, the right business plan, and the right support, it becomes far more likely.

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That’s the entire purpose of e2E—it’s a movement of entrepreneurs dedicated to mentoring anyone seeking to make the move from employee to entrepreneur.

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So if you have the ambition to start a business, but feel overwhelmed by the prospect of entrepreneurship, let’s talk. We can discover what it would look like for you to transform your path into a path towards entrepreneurship.

It’s simple—the things you actually want are painful to earn. The things you settle for, don’t.

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That doesn’t mean settling is easy. There’s a price for apathy. It just comes further down the road. And often, it’s unbearable.

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The alternative? Striving for the things that are worthwhile.

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If you’re reading this article, that likely means taking the plunge and starting a business.

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Why? Because it’s the only way you’ll create the freedom you actually want. No other path gives absolute responsibility over your destiny.

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And yeah, it’ll be hard.

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Your business often comes before family.

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Your comfort zone becomes a thing of the past.

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Fun gets indefinitely paused.

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It will be worth it—if you endure it.

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And the only way you’ll endure it is if you embrace reality from the start. Recognize that the most rewarding success will be the most painful to earn right now. Own it. Then, start building your future.

For entrepreneurs, failure isn’t an option—it’s a requirement.

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Some will be small. You’ll try a marketing campaign that flops. You’ll launch a product that fizzles.

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Others will be bigger. You’ll lose a key team member. You’ll make a strategic misstep. You’ll feel like you’re about to drown and not know which way is up.

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Those failures suck. They hurt. But they’re absolutely critical.

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Why? Because there’s no better teacher than failure.

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That awful feeling you get when something goes wrong? That’s your brain telling you that you need to change what you’re doing.

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In order to succeed, you have to be willing to fail. You have to be okay with making mistakes and learning from them.

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So the next time you experience a failure (and you will), don’t beat yourself up. Embrace it. Learn from it. And keep moving forward.

The best way to face adversity is to willingly choose it.

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Consider two scenarios…

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Imagine you’re walking around your house when, suddenly, a 135-pound weight appears across your shoulders.

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It came from out of nowhere. You stagger. Every muscle in your body fires in a desperate struggle to keep you upright. Your mind goes blank. Your heart races.

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It’s an intense, potentially dangerous situation that you had no control over. It’s terrifying.

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But now imagine you’re in a gym. You’ve been working out consistently for months, and it’s time to test your limits.

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You place 135 pounds on your shoulders. You squat down, then start pushing. Every muscle fires. Your mind goes blank. Your heart races.

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It’s an intense, potentially dangerous situation. But it’s thrilling. You celebrate when you’re done.

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Both scenarios are almost identical, with one critical difference.

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In the first scenario, you didn’t choose the challenge. In the second scenario, you did.

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That’s the difference between terror and triumph.

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So if you want to be an entrepreneur, make a habit of facing challenges head-on, rather than waiting for problems to drop in your lap. See if you start having more triumphant days than terrifying ones.

Every successful business starts with an idea. But let’s be clear—a good idea alone isn’t enough.

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Successful businesses begin with answers to questions like…

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• What are the startup costs and can you afford them?
• Have you found a proven system to follow that creates predictable results?
• Will you create your own market assets or outsource to others?
• What technology will you need? Is it already in place or will you have to assemble it?
• Are you prepared for having too few—or too many—customers?

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These are the questions you need to answer before you can transform your idea into a business. If your answers are less than satisfactory, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

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Why? Because you may find yourself with a business, but no customers. That’s because you have an idea, but not a solution. And people will pay you for solutions, not ideas.

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You may discover that your idea is good, but needs refinement.

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Or you may discover that you need a new idea!

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Either way, it’s better to vet your ideas fully at the start than realize you’ve built an entire business on an unstable foundation.

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So take your idea, and put it through the ringer. If it’s good, it will survive. If not, you’ll have saved yourself a serious headache, a lot of time, and possibly a significant amount of money.

Emotions are what drive the entrepreneur to make their dreams into reality.

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Yes, logic steers the business—entrepreneurship requires a full embrace of data, metrics, and brutal honesty.

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But raw reasoning doesn’t sustain you through seasons of hardship and doubt. Far from it—the numbers may actually lead you to quit prematurely.

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Instead what sustains them is emotion.

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Think about what’s sustained you through your most difficult challenges. Was it a spreadsheet full of formulas predicting your odds of success? Or was it clinging to the things that matter?

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That’s what creates uncommon success—emotion based tenacity to hold on, comeback, and win, regardless of the odds.

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And note this well—starting a business that doesn’t inspire you, one without a mission or vision, simply won’t generate that emotion.

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Far better to commit yourself to an outfield idea you believe in than a safe idea that bores you.

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What inspires you? What do you want to change? What’s a skill that gets you in the zone? Those are all signposts pointing you towards a business that you can sustain through whatever life throws your way.

Few are better positioned to survive—and even thrive—during an economic downturn than entrepreneurs.

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Why? Because of the very nature of entrepreneurship.

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Here’s how it works…

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Entrepreneurs solve problems for consumers or businesses. The greater the problem, the greater the potential reward.

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Recessions present massive problems to everyone—unemployment, restricted cash flow, businesses shutting down, and an atmosphere of tension and dread, to name just a few.

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Step up to the plate and solve those problems, and you stand to reap significant benefits.

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But having more problems to solve isn’t your only advantage.

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Afraid of a saturated market? Recessions can thin out competitors and free up market niches.

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Intimidated by startup costs? Recessions can lower the price tag on the goods and services you need to get your business into gear.

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Unsure about going it alone? Recessions can increase the availability of talent looking for new, fresh opportunities.

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So if a faltering economy has you skittish about starting a business, it may be wise to reconsider. Research the market you seek to enter, speak with a seasoned entrepreneur, and start taking steps towards starting a part-time business. You might find that the downturn is the start of your next opportunity.

Losing benefits like health insurance and retirement accounts can be a massive hurdle with entrepreneurship.

For many, employer benefits are non-negotiable. They help mitigate the costs of healthcare—which can be extreme—and can offer extra firepower for building wealth with 401(k) contribution matching.

You lose those direct benefits when you quit your day job to make the move to full-time entrepreneurship. So sacrificing them rashly could set your finances—and future—up for disaster.

Fortunately, a catastrophe is easy to sidestep. But how?

Simple—start part-time.

If you don’t have the resources to fully replace your benefits, don’t make the commitment to full-time entrepreneurship.

Instead, keep your full-time job and work your business part-time.

You keep your benefits, and you learn the ropes of entrepreneurship. Once it’s clear that your business has the potential to replace your 9-to-5 income, you can transition to full-time entrepreneurship with more confidence. It’s a win-win strategy.

The downside? You may find yourself strapped for time and energy during the transition.

But it may be a small price to pay for what you get—the opportunity to start a business without sacrificing your stability.

When you punch the clock for someone else, they’re the one getting closer to freedom—not you.

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That’s because you’re making a trade with your boss.

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You give your time and effort. They give you a paycheck.

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They help you pay your bills. You help them build their business.

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Make no mistake—paying your bills is a good thing.

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But building a business is better.

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Why? Because freedom, true freedom to build something, requires both the time to do what you want, and the money to make it happen.

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A paycheck gives you little of either.

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A business gives you limitless potential for both.

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When you’re an employee, you work for someone else’s time, earning their money, building their dream.

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When you’re an entrepreneur, you work on your own time, scaling your own income, and creating your own freedom.

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If being an entrepreneur sounds better, that’s because it can be… IF you can find the right system AND leadership.

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Together, they can help you mitigate risk and spare you the wasted time and mounting stress of trying to build a business from scratch.

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So if you’re ready to make the move from employee to entrepreneur, let’s talk. We can explore what it would look like for you to start a business that can help create the time and money you need to achieve the freedom you desire.