Nigerian entrepreneur and CEO of Iroko TV, Jason Njoku, recently took to his Twitter page to make it very clear that entrepreneurship is not a glamorous affair.
People who glamourise entrepreneurship need to be sincere by acknowledging that it is not always as pleasant as they make it seem, Mr Njoku said.
According to him, running a business “will abuse you and then consume you if you let it”. And even when you win eventually, “PTSD awaits”, he said.
🖕🏾Folks who glamourise entrepreneurship. It's wrong. Let people know the truth. This thing will abuse you then completely consume you if you let it. If you win and make 💰. It won't matter than much. PTSD awaits. Thankfully I found out early that there is no true happiness there
— JasonNjoku (@JasonNjoku) April 2, 2019
Mr Njoku, who apparently had a bad day yesterday, said he would rather spend his time holding his wife and children than being an entrepreneur. According to him, “there is no happiness there.”
Holding my wife & children is way better way to spend the majority of my time. Yes today was a pretty 💩day so this is me expressing myself. 😬
— JasonNjoku (@JasonNjoku) April 2, 2019
Nothing good ever comes easy
There is no doubt that running a business is quite nerve-wracking thing. No business owner can actually say they had it all rosy when they started their businesses. Even the most successful of businessmen in the world had it rough in the beginning.
People’s reactions
Some of Jason’s followers also have opined that the struggle doesn’t just come with entrepreneurs alone but even with a regular 9-5 job, as every endeavour comes with its own baggage.
Let's put the right message out there. either 9-5 or entrepreneurship, Every endeavor has got its own dose of stress.
— Online printer (@_Brandpromoter) April 2, 2019
Others actually agreed that running a business is hard everywhere and hardest in Nigeria. This is because there are many odds one has to scale through. And for people that have family members depending on them, it is can be more difficult.
Life of an Entrepreneur is hard especially here in Nigeria. Worse if you have family that depends on you.
Come prepared because there are days when you will want to cry but won't have the energy to.
— Yhuxi (@Onyemehenry) April 2, 2019
But some people disagreed. One follower argued that glamourising their job helps entrepreneurs to get opportunities.
How else well they get consultancy gigs, appear on Forbes, give TED talks or receive honourable doctorates if they don't glamourize it ?
— Nosa Iyare (@nosa_iyare) April 2, 2019
Another follower pointed out that many people wrongly perceive entrepreneurship as an escape plan from their 9-5 jobs. They think it is the right thing to do in order to have their time to themselves, not knowing it is a different ball game altogether.
I guess his point is that people should not see entrepreneurship as an escape plan from the 9-5 thing (especially the stress part); it has its peculiar challenges too.
— Top Boy #EndSARS (@LuminaryAdeyemi) April 2, 2019
