Yes, yes, you read that right: in Spanish I called myself an executive of “Yo Tuve”, and it’s not a typo for YouTube. I mean “Yo Tuve”, “I had”…
This is a personal post about how I went from being an executive at big companies to a micro-business owner, something I certainly wouldn’t swap for anything. It follows on from the post From Executive to Entrepreneur.
When you’re studying for a degree or a master’s, you think you’re going to take on the world and that the best thing is a meteoric career in management positions at a company, the bigger the better, and you work yourself to the bone for it.
At least that’s what I did for a long time: working for someone else, and in many cases I ended up being just a number, paying more attention to something that isn’t mine and somewhat neglecting my family and friends.
Let’s start with everything I had and don’t miss at all now that I work in my own company:
- I had a bloody brilliant office on the Paseo de la Castellana – now a desk in a coworking space
- I had more meal vouchers than I could use – now I have a sandwich and a soft drink to save money
- I had a company card for expenses – now I watch every euro I spend on my card
- I had an end-of-year sales bonus – now the only pass I have is my metro pass
- I had whatever laptop I wanted – now I have the most modest laptop, as long as it works
- I had private health insurance – I still pay for it, but it comes out of my own expenses
- I had a personal assistant – now I personally assist myself with everything I do
- I had a Mercedes as a company car – now Mercedes keeps me company on the metro
But also…
- I had marathon working days of more than 12 hours – now I work at my own pace and balance it with my family
- I had to report to my boss every week – now I report to myself, my wife and my son
- I had up to 4 bosses in the same company – now my bosses are, once again, my wife and my son
- I had to work almost every Friday – now on Fridays I pick my son up from school
- I had big business lunches – now I have lunch at home
The moral of the story: you don’t live as well or earn as much as you think working for a big multinational as a top-level executive. In my two years working for myself I’ve had tough times and struggled to make ends meet, but from the second year onwards I’m earning more than in those oh-so-fantastic positions and, above all, enjoying much more time with my loved ones.
Starting your own business isn’t easy, but it’s undoubtedly very rewarding.
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