The difference between working and starting a business

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What is the difference between working for someone else and starting a business? Some say it’s all about making money, about surviving... 1. Working for someone else means earning a living through one’s own abilities, while starting a business means doing so through one’s own wisdom and thinking； 2. Working involves using a platform provided by others to showcase one’s abilities, while entrepreneurship relies on one’s own determination and vision to create such a platform ； 3. Working as an employee means doing one’s own job well; starting a business requires thinking about every aspect of how the system operates ； 4. Those who work for others expect to have two days off per week, while entrepreneurs focus on how to operate at a low cost ； 5. Those who work prefer not to face the truth about their income, while those who start a business must confront the reality of their own capabilities and financial situation ； 6. When working, one thinks about how much value their experience and qualifications hold; when starting a business, one considers how much money their hard work and strategies can generate ； 7. When working, one wants to use their professional skills to make a living and save money to support their family; when starting a business, one thinks about how to utilize societal resources to earn money to sustain the organization and its employees ； 8. Workers are generally quite naive, believing that hard work and obedience will ensure a trouble-free life; it is only when starting a business that they realize how unpredictable and uncertain the market can be ； 9. In a job, one can get by by maintaining good relationships with supervisors and colleagues; in business, survival requires maintaining good relationships with customers and various aspects of society ； 10. When working as an employee, one has to consider the moods of supervisors and bosses; when starting a business, one has to take into account the opinions of consumers in society, regulatory authorities, and the media ； 11. When working as an employee, one thinks about how much money can be saved and what bonuses can be received this year; when starting a business, one thinks about how many stores can be opened and what market share can be gained this year ； 12. As a worker, it’s raining and snowing today; I’m happy that there are no customers, as this allows me to relax and slack off. But when thinking about starting my own business, the rainy and snowy weather makes me extremely anxious – how can I attract customers? ； 13. When facing problems at work, it’s about solving them; when starting a business, one needs to consider what the root of the problem is, how to solve it, and how to prevent it from happening again ； 14. When working, one avoids problems that cause trouble, thinking they cannot be solved; but when starting a business, one must face the challenging issues head-on and actively seek ways to resolve them ； 15. When working, pile up tasks and delay them as much as possible; it’s better to have as few tasks as possible. It’s only when starting a business that you realize these accumulated problems can turn into time bombs, and who knows – one day the company, along with you and your employees, could all be destroyed by those problems ； 16. When working as an employee, it’s reassuring to keep an eye on the clock and work according to the scheduled time; when starting a business, one has to think constantly about how to survive and thrive day after day ； 17. When working, one always hopes that the boss will treat them, thinking it’s only natural; when starting a business, however, treating others feels like sacrificing something valuable, but one still has to be generous and pay the bills ； 18. When working, I turned off my phone by 8 p.m. out of fear that someone might cause trouble; when starting a business, I kept three phones by my bed on 24/7, with them turned on at all times, in the hope that someone would take care of the business ； 19. Those who work have their confidence buried within them, while those who start businesses display their confidence outwardly ； 20. People who work for others hate most having to tell others that they are employees in front of an audience in a hall; entrepreneurs fear most hearing others call them bosses in public, especially when they have not yet achieved success ； 21. When working, one has to be very careful with phone costs; it’s best if the company provides free phone access. When outside, calls to the boss are made briefly before hanging up right away. When starting a business, one has to force oneself to make calls, and even for long-distance calls to partners and clients, one has to wait until the other party hangs up, despite the discomfort it causes ； 22. When facing difficulties at a job, some people give up, wanting to pack up and leave or avoid taking responsibility; whereas when starting a business, one must confront and solve those difficulties, taking it upon oneself to resolve the issues ； 23. While working, when I heard that a new colleague had joined the company and was more capable than me, I felt jealous and wary of him; when starting my own business, I always aspired to recruit talented individuals who were far more skilled than I was. 24. Working as a worker is like being a student – it’s sufficient to have good academic results. Starting a business is like being a teacher: one must teach students well, find ways to influence their thinking, and handle external evaluations related to professional titles ； 25. Working is like being in university; the more free one is, the better. There should be as little management as possible, and a more casual atmosphere brings greater happiness – that’s what character and coolness entail. Being able to do as one pleases brings endless joy. Starting a business is like running a university; it’s best to have military training and to prevent men and women from living together, for fear that even the slightest mistake could ruin all the effort and hard work invested ； 26. When working as an employee, one doesn’t want anyone to manage them; they think of themselves as great and look down on those who are less capable than them. It is only when starting a business that one realizes how much one needs a good mentor or wise person to guide and help them. One gradually comes to realize that they are actually not that special after all, and that everyone who is less competent than them deserves respect, because no one is perfect ； 27. When working, one thinks that having a lover’s messages and surprises to warm oneself up in times of boredom would be nice; when starting a business, one hopes that in such moments an important client will suddenly decide to enter into a purchase order contract with them ； When working, one thinks about how much bonus will be given this month; when starting a business, one thinks about how many products have been wasted this month and what methods can be used to save money ； 28. While working, one doesn’t realize just how important relationships are, nor what it means to cherish them. It is only when starting a business that one understands how fortunate it is to have a partner who can encourage and help one during difficult times ； 29. While working, one doesn’t realize how being filial to one’s parents is related to one’s career. When there’s no money to spend, one simply forgets about family – after all, it’s enough as long as oneself is fed. It’s only when starting a business that one realizes how bad it is to act in such a way; no one will trust you. If you’re not filial to your parents, you won’t be able to earn money in a peaceful and stable manner ； 30. When working as an employee, one doesn’t want to ask others for help or disturb them; but when starting a business, one has to ask others for help every day, having to take the initiative to send messages and emails to friends and clients, thereby troubling others ； 31. While working, one always hopes to acquire as many qualifications as possible* – ideally a postdoctoral degree, along with certificates in human resource management, accounting, training, and so on; in total, more than a dozen or twenty such certificates. It’s only when starting a business that one realizes it’s better to be a brave man who knows nothing at all, as diplomas, professional titles, and certificates are completely useless ； 32. When working, seeing that the other person’s business card indicated them as a director at some multinational company with an annual salary of XX tens of thousands, I felt envious and inferior; I was extremely respectful and cautious. When starting my own business, being alone, I still dared to tell myself that in the future I would train dozens of such directors and managers ； 33. When working, I would always show great respect whenever I heard someone introduce others as professors, mentors, experts, masters, or successful people in this industry. But when it came to starting my own business, I would laugh inwardly at such statements, realizing that knowledge isn’t that important; knowing how to talk well is not as valuable as actually doing things well. Practice is the only way to gain wisdom, and I felt that I was the real expert ； 34. When working, I didn’t pay much attention to the media and journalists; but when starting a business, I thought about journalists yet was afraid of them ； 35. When working as an employee, one treats products as mere commodities, as things for making a living, and allows them to be discarded carelessly; but when starting a business, one treats one’s own products like a lover, like a partner, and feels deep pain when they get damaged or ruined ； 36. When working, treat your partner as a lover – allowing each other no interference, using them as a blanket to keep warm. When starting a business, treat your partner or spouse as a treasure, fearing that if they leave your business will fail; therefore, it’s essential for both parties to maintain stability and work together ； 37. While working, I dreamed that one day I would be able to marry the boss’s sister and daughter, so as to have to work twenty years less; when starting my own business, I realized that nothing in the world is more important than one’s own perseverance and effort – there are no free lunches ； 38. When working, I wanted to marry a good husband so that I could live without worries about food and clothing and become a housewife. It was only when starting a business that I realized I really didn’t want to find such a woman to share my efforts and wealth with ； 39. People who work for others enjoy hustle and bustle as well as living in groups; therefore, they are lively and take pleasure in such environments. Those who start their own businesses, on the other hand, seek peace and time for reflection, so they constantly work to refine their bodies and minds in line with their desires ； 40. Those who work put their hopes in mentors, while those who start businesses rely on themselves ； 41. Those who work put their dreams in the hands of opportunities, while those who start businesses dedicate their lives to their beliefs and God ； 42. If workers are to be compared to anything, they are like household dogs, while entrepreneurs are like wild wolves. In the end, there are fewer wolves than dogs in this world, because most people prefer to be dogs. This is the phenomenon of species existing in nature ； 43. 80% are employees, while 20% are entrepreneurs, because employees all hope to find shelter under the shade of entrepreneurs ； 44. Workers don’t realize that the fact that they earn at least eight times more than entrepreneurs was determined from the very beginning; meanwhile, entrepreneurs don’t understand why they should feel guilty for making money through so much effort, intelligence, and dedication.