It’s been 14 years since I had a “job” — and I’ve never worked so hard.
They say the worst boss you can have is yourself, and you’ll never work harder than when you’re working for you. I’ve found that to be true.
You’re constantly moving from one system to another, always testing the next tool that promises to make your life easier. But you’re still juggling — trying to grow your business while also trying to live your life. And ironically, the work that enables your life can end up consuming it.
You have to learn how to prioritise. Some tasks will move you forward. Others will be experiments — they might help, they might not. Some will just teach you what doesn’t work.
But the most valuable moments come when you pause and reflect. You might realise you’ve been busy, but not productive. That you’ve been caught in the trap of activity vs. progress — and they look the same, but they’re not. One builds your future. The other just keeps you treading water.
Life doesn’t stop to let you breathe.
You can plan for what you know is coming — but the rest? You have to deal with it on the spot. Distractions will pull at your focus, make it almost impossible to keep up the momentum. And the reason you started your own business? That will change. What once felt like a small, practical goal grows as your options expand. You begin to realise how much more you could do, see, have, and give.
You realise your job was keeping you alive — not helping you live.
Some joke that J.O.B. stands for Just Over Broke — and it’s true for many. Most jobs are designed to keep you paid just enough to come back tomorrow. But running your own business? That’s the path that can lead to freedom.
The Curse
When your future is in your own hands, so is the pressure that comes with it.
Having a job means trusting that the owners and leadership are making the right decisions to keep the business afloat — so you can just do your part and collect your wages. Work hard enough not to get sacked. That’s the deal.
But when you’re the boss?
You’re the one making the decisions that pay your bills.
You’re the one learning new skills just to stay relevant.
You’re the one who has to see the curveball coming — or catch it when it hits you in the face.
And now with AI accelerating, things are shifting again. If you’ve ever looked at the daily tasks you do and thought, “This could be automated…” — then yes, it probably can be. AI will make those jobs cheaper, faster, and easier to replace. That includes admin roles, sales roles, even manual labour.
So the only real answer is to embrace AI. Use it. Integrate it. And still offer value.
Is There a Solution to Being the Boss?
You only need a solution if there’s a problem.
And running your own business isn’t the problem — it’s the solution to needing a job.
We were raised in a system designed to produce good workers. But that system is crumbling. In first-world countries, employment is changing fast — and soon it’ll be unrecognisable. Retail, driving, hospitality, manufacturing… all of it is being reshaped by automation and AI.
The businesses that thrive in the future will be creative, caring, and problem-solving.
They’ll be lean. Global. Scalable.
And they’ll often be just you.
But that’s not a bad thing.
We’re moving from a culture of working to survive, to a future where we can live to grow.
To explore. To fix things. To help others. To make the world better for everyone.
🔍 Transparency Note
This article was written entirely by a human. No AI tools were used in the writing or editing of this piece.
(Want to see what AI-generated posts look like? Browse our #AIgenerated tag.)