14 Reasons Why I Loved My 14 Years in Corporate America (And why Entrepreneurship is NOT for Everyone)

After working in Corporate America for over 14 years, one of the most common questions I get now is...

"How's it all going? It must be so different..."

Then the next follow up is something along the lines of:

"Man, I really want to do that too - I want to stop working for the MAN and just do my own thing..."

It seems like every other day, I'm having a conversation with someone and they are telling me how they want to take the leap into entrepreneurship. I'm sure much of this has to do with how in our current era, entrepreneurship has become glamorized with fake influencers showing rented Lamborghini Aventadors, blinged out fake Hublots, piles of cash, models, etc.

With social media, we are seeing a false world of easy money, easy success, and freedom. Therefore, I wanted to write about it - I've been an entrepreneur for 62 days now and I have learned a TON. It has become crystal clear: Entrepreneurship is NOT for everyone.

Successful entrepreneurship requires MASSIVE discipline, focus, execution, and is not for the weak-minded.

It's pretty much like this:

Although it has been challenging but rewarding so far, I do not regret my time working in Corporate America as it has made me who I am today. Therefore, in honor of my 14 years as an employee, I wanted to share 14 reasons why I loved my time working for a company! (Also, if you are looking to make the jump, these are 14 things you will need to re-create/build as well if these are wildly important to you)

1) The Relationships and the People: I've worked with so many great and amazing people that have positively impacted me. They've made me better in so many ways and I am so grateful for the friendship! If it wasn't for the companies, I may not have met them!

2) The Resources: Man, especially now, every time I pull my credit card out to pay for something for the business, there is more STING than before :p In a financially healthy and mature organization, you just don't think about these as much. As a start-up, having a strong cash-flow is vitally critical for the health of the organization and every dollar in or out makes an impact.

3) Existing Systems: I love systems - having Outlook, all the software, payroll, invoices, etc. already being put in place is a privilege. Many people take it for granted but it's great having these types of tools to help you in companies. I've had to set these all up for scalability so it made me appreciate it even more!

4) The Little Perks: Every company has little perks that are awesome to take full advantage of. Whether it's getting cool swag, clothing, discounts, coffee, etc. I literally drink from the YETI coffee mug I received from work every single day!

5) Social Atmosphere: If you have cool co-workers and people you work with, it can be so energizing to be around them! It's fun to hang out and just spend time with them.

6) The Accountability: This may seem like a strange thing to love, but having people that you report to or have report to you helps create dual accountability. When you have people depend on you in that way, it can drive high performance. I'm currently 100% accountable to myself - this means massive discipline every single day, hour, and minute to stay focused on building the empire. AND since it's a home office, it's being disciplined to stay away from non-revenue generating things such as binge-watching Netflix or cleaning the garage!

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7) The Recognition: This was a cool thing that I truly appreciated - from verbal recognition to notes, this is always a nice ego boost :)

8) The Collaboration: I never had had the best ideas but the best PEOPLE to collaborate with. If I was stuck on a problem, it was always great to bounce ideas off other smart people that are in the organization.

9) Awards Trips: How could you not love free trips to Mexico, Palm Springs, Marco Island, etc?

10) 401K Matching, ESOP, Profit Sharing, and Stock: I love free money that builds wealth - who wouldn't? This was definitely one of the AMAZING things about working for financially strong organizations!

11) Brand / Marketplace Value: When you work for big brands, you are coming in with established value. That can either hurt you or help you. In my case, I worked for two brands that were both #1 in their respective industries so it has helped! In my new venture, I'm spending a lot of time building up the brand as that determines the longevity of the organization!

12) Part of Something Greater: One of the cool parts of working with a large organization is that you are part of something greater whether it is a team, division, region, etc. There is great purpose in that and I've always appreciated that. Now I'm building an empire to create that same feel :)

13) The Support: We all have tough days - there was something AWESOME being able to call up a peer or friend in the organization to let it all out. That support of someone who has experienced exactly what you have already is a great thing!

14) Skills: Last but not least, I love ALL the skills I've learned over the last 14 years that have transferred to my new adventure! From organization, difficult conversations, communication, etc., they have all helped me in this journey!

So there you have it, 14 Reasons Why I Loved My 14 Years in Corporate America! Although my new journey is EXCITING, I have GREAT appreciation for my 14 years. What are your thoughts? If you are working for a company right now, what do you love the most? If you're on an entrepreneur, what do you love about that? Make sure to comment, like, and share below!

P.S. If you are interested in hearing some of the lessons I'm learning in my new entrepreneurial journey, comment below and let me know as I can include future articles on it too!

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Marcus Chan, President / Founder of Venli Consulting Group, is an award-winning results and people-driven executive sales leader. Over the last decade, Marcus has been promoted 10X in 10 years and has been ranked in the top percentile of every company and every role he has been in.

He is passionate about helping others reach their maximum potential through high performance sales consulting and coaching. You can follow him on Instagram here for daily motivation! More information and a ton of cool resources are waiting for you here!