The following is part 5 of my 8 part series on entrepreneurs and their attempts at work-life balance.

Angie described herself as an entrepreneur because now she “actually [does] something”. She had always been a designer but is now in charge of a startup business and a team of five people. The differences are subtle but important. For instance, she mentioned that designers simply build websites for clients. But, as an entrepreneur she’s building a website for the masses and trying to find out how to “milk [them] for profit.” That alone should demonstrate Angie’s desire to be disruptive; perhaps a common trait among entrepreneurs.

Much like Jeremy, Angie says she works on her own business more than those individuals working at a typical “day job.” She should know: she’s still on someone else’s payroll. By day she’s paid to look interested but by night she invests more energy (and creates more value) in 4 hours than she ever does at her 9-to-5 job. But why is that important? Angie says that “work is life” and anyone convinced otherwise is simply kidding themselves. With that said, people need to do everything they can to remain “grounded” and balance between work and their personal life.

“work is life”

For many, it’s easy to escape their day job and simply go home to the “real world.” As Angie has found, it’s extremely hard to escape her own business. As an internet entrepreneur it’s easy to get caught up in the “video games, hacking, and geek parties”. In fact, her business has becomes a bigger part of life and many business-related individuals have become close friends. But, she says that there’s certainly more to life than work and the people that share your interests and goals. So how does Angie escape the bubble world? Movies, shows, concerts, new bars and restaurants are all great places to get started. Without them Angie would be far from balanced.

Series: Background, Steve Pavlina, Jeremy Wright, Rory and Sandra Burke, Angie Chang, Shivani Sopory, Conclusions, Final Thoughts
[tags]entrepreneurship, design, work, geek[/tags]