Would you rather be your own boss or be part of a strong team?

Paul VanZandt
53 replies
This is a tricky question for many entrepreneurs, and I'm personally very torn. What do you prefer and why?

Replies

Rachel Cossar
Part of a strong team - which implies great leadership. Great leadership never feels like you have a boss:) And this is coming from the CEO of a company haha. I try to view everyone as a fully fledge, equal member of a team. Everyone has skin in the game and everyone's opinions are safely heard and valued.
Lucian Tartea
@rachelonpointe Great way of thinking. Your team is lucky to have you as leader. Not a lot of managers think this way
Paul VanZandt
@rachelonpointe I completely agree, and I know a lot of other people do too. Creating positive culture through leadership is a key reason a lot of people join teams in the first place.
Yesser Falk
@rachelonpointe that's so true. Especially the part with skin in the game.
Harish Kumar
@yesser_falk @rachelonpointe agree 100%, without this leadership initiative, there is no strong team. Best is leader of the team and become your own boss.
Rachel Cossar
@luciantartea Thank you for saying that Lucian - very kind of you...
Camille Landau
I've been both, and I identify as an entrepreneur...but the reason I love entrepreneurship is because I get to work so closely with other committed people...so, by being part of a great team, I get it all!
Paul VanZandt
@camille_landau The best of both worlds - terrific.
Sergio Zaciu
any great boss who loves what they do is part of a great team.
Paul VanZandt
@szaciu Good observation - in some occasions it can be both!
Harish Kumar
@szaciu rightly said, great boss is equal to leader who create high performing team and great culture.
Dylan Merideth
Teams are, in my experience, way more rewarding than doing anything solo. Life is better when shared. It is tricky as an entrepreneur especially in the early days, when being lean is often the goal. Id still choose a team everytime.
Paul VanZandt
@dylan_merideth Being part of a strong team is one of the great securities in life. Some entrepreneurs struggle with this because it means they might not have 100% control over their direction - thanks for the comment.
Lucian Tartea
@dylan_merideth I am a solo bootstrapper and I fly when working alone. At the same time I love diversity and appreciate what you said about life being better when shared
Cameron Caldwell
Be my own boss, with the caveat that I have a strong team around me
Ezzat Suhaime
Being a solo, swash-buckling entrepreneur sounds sexy. But for me, working with a strong team just seems a lot more rewarding and effective.
Yesser Falk
I certainly don't want to be part of a team where everyone thinks they are the boss. I believe that aspiring to be the boss in any field isn't a healthy attitude especially if you are working in a team.
Paul VanZandt
@yesser_falk I agree, but I think many teams have a more cooperative function than adversarial. In this circumstance, I think having good leadership and a positive team dynamic is really healthy.
Danny Hatcher πŸ”Ž
Looking split right now but I much prefer the affordances of a lone working than the constraints introduced by a team. I recognize the affordances working in a team offers but right now, I like my 'freedom' πŸ˜…
Lucian Tartea
@dannyhatcher Backing this up. Working alone after learning from teams has been a good choice for me. And I enjoy the freedom so much
Paul VanZandt
@dannyhatcher Freedom is really hard to give up especially after you've tasted it.
Daniel Engels
I tried both. My advice: be sure to gather enough experience and connections before you start your enterpreneurial journey. It's virtually impossible to get back to a corporate job afterwards, so prepare before making this big step. And it goes without saying, preparation includes accumulating some money reserves.
Paul VanZandt
@daniel_engels Emphasizing preparation is key, thanks for sharing. Why do you think it's so hard to return to corporate life after exploring an entrepreneurial career?
Lucian Tartea
@daniel_engels You've described my journey. I can confirm it's the most risk free path into self employment or building startups. Learned a lot from teams and now as a bootstrapper I can move fast
Firmao
Everyone in our company has something to say. I think it's a good solution that works even better thanks to the CRM system. We are all customer focused.
Arun Pariyar
If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together. Perhaps the best is to strike a balance. Especially now when skills have become focused and co-dependent. Personally though I prefer to walk far to team is the way to go πŸ‘
Paul VanZandt
@arunpariyar That's a really lovely saying - I totally agree!
Maya Ben Zid
They are not mutually exclusive: you can always be the boss of a strong team you lead:) But, on a serious note, I think a lot of learning opportunities come from working in a strong team. You can then pour this knowledge and experience into passion projects where you are your own boss and should all the responsibility.
Paul VanZandt
@maya_ovice I totally agree - being a part of a team in any capacity is a brilliant way to take in new information and learn how to improve. Being a team leader is the best of both worlds!
Ludovico Petrali
If we are talking about start up environment, then Strong Team 100%. If the hierarchy structure is flexible and "young, then you don't need to be a boss to enjoy work
Shruti
Starting out I will be a part of a strong team once I acquire required skills I can be my own boss.
Paul VanZandt
@shruti_s I think a lot of people would love to follow this pipeline!
Yulia Butovchenko πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦
I think that each person can decide for himself. If he has all the necessary skills let him work alone. If there is no confidence that he will manage, then the team will help.
Paul VanZandt
@yulia_butovchenko I agree - both options provide something unique!
Kevin Crum
Yeah, of course, I will be my own boss. Because I don't like to follow others deamination.
Paul VanZandt
@kevincrum Being your own boss is something a ton of people aspire to - great insight.
Eugene Tsalwa
I do see the perks of being your own boss but I enjoy it better when I work with trusted and experienced people who will also give what it takes to succeed. The only problem is such people are hard to come by and I count myself lucky for having such a team.
Paul VanZandt
@eugene_hunter Yeah I agree - being in a team is more of a risk but can be super beneficial when it's strong and cohesive.
Lucian Tartea
I would start as part of a strong team to learn from experienced peers then go solo as my own boss. I've been working as my own boss since 6 years and I have to admit I fly when I work on my own. Building my own basic products is a dream come true. Admittedly I learned a lot when I worked as part of a team but crawled when trying to implement my own projects with them. Even though they were validates and generating real business results.
Paul VanZandt
@luciantartea This seems like a really common sentiment and I agree - building your own product is really great (but not easy)
Ilona Kazakova
I'd prefer being part of a strong team for the time being. And after acquiring a sufficient number of skills and abilities, I'd opt for working for myself.
Rich Taylor
I like both. Happy to be part of a strong team of people who are equals building together. Not a huge fan of being an employee no matter how strong the team, but it sure helps!