Business in My 30s: A Comedy of Errors and Existential Crises
Ah, the joys of being in your 30s and building a business. They tell you to follow your dreams, be your own boss, and create the life you want. What they don’t tell you is that being your own boss means you get to yell at yourself for making bad decisions, question your entire existence at 2 AM, and develop a deeply personal relationship with spreadsheets (spoiler: they don’t love you back).
The Nostalgic Fantasy: University Life
There was a time when my biggest worry was submitting my thesis on time. Oh, how naive I was to think that was stressful! Back then, life was a beautiful bubble of late-night coffee runs, deep philosophical conversations about the meaning of life (that didn’t involve taxes), and the sheer joy of pretending adulthood was this magical thing waiting for us after graduation.
Now? I’d trade my business for one more semester of pulling all-nighters, but this time, instead of writing a research paper, I’d just sleep.
The Harsh Reality: Business Chaos
Running a business in your 30s is like juggling while riding a unicycle on a tightrope… during a storm. On some days, you feel like a visionary entrepreneur. On others, you’re just a sleep-deprived human googling ‘How to not panic when everything goes wrong?’ The answer, by the way, is usually ‘Just breathe,’ which is absolutely useless advice when your expenses are laughing at your income.
The Free Time Illusion
Remember when you thought being your own boss meant having more free time? Hilarious. Turns out, it means you’re never really “off.” Your brain is an open 24/7 convenience store of ideas, problems, and sudden bursts of motivation that only happen at the most inconvenient hours.
The Big Question: Was This a Good Idea?
Somewhere between my fifth cup of coffee and the 27th email marked ‘urgent,’ I find myself staring out the window, reminiscing about my university days. I miss the simplicity of worrying about grades instead of profit margins, of planning weekend trips instead of financial strategies, of dreaming without a calculator in hand.
But Here’s the Twist
Despite the chaos, the stress, and the occasional urge to run away, I know deep down this journey is shaping me. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes absurd — but it’s also mine. And for better or worse, I chose this (why….)
So here’s to the business owners in their 30s, balancing ambition with reality, and wondering if they made a huge mistake. You’re not alone. And if all else fails, we can always go back to university… for nostalgia’s sake, of course.
