A Message to Entrepreneurs (and the Ones Still Listening to Their Hearts)

Do you run your own business — or quietly dream of starting one?

Have you ever felt discouraged, shamed, or subtly warned that doing what you love is not brave… but irresponsible? Risky. Even dangerous?

If so, you’re not alone.

I’ve been self-employed for over 12 years. I’ve run a private practice in massage therapy, sound healing, and holistic nutrition, and I’ve helped hundreds of people along the way. I didn’t start with investors, a roadmap, or a guarantee. I started with commitment — to my heart, my intuition, and the deep knowing that what I was offering genuinely helped people.

Like every entrepreneur, I met doubt early and often.
From myself. From others.
“What are you doing?”
“Get a real job.”

Those words hurt the most.

Because I did have a real job — helping people feel better in their bodies, calm their nervous systems, and reconnect with themselves. That felt as real as it gets.

As I kept going — quietly tuning out the noise — something shifted. Slowly, steadily, my “side hustle” became my full-time work. It gave me flexibility, autonomy, and opportunities no traditional job ever could. But more importantly, it allowed me to change lives: sometimes through one sound healing session, sometimes by helping someone demystify their health, sometimes simply by bringing them back into their body.

I was — and still am — doing what I love: helping people help themselves.

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Fear Often Comes From What We Don’t Understand

Many people are afraid of what they’ve never been exposed to. Entrepreneurship can feel threatening when the only model of “safety” someone knows is a fixed job, a fixed paycheck, and a fixed path.

Starting your own business is a big undertaking — especially if you don’t come from a culture, family, or community where this is normalized. It can feel incredibly lonely to follow your intuition when the majority of people around you don’t understand what you’re building.

And yes — we all have real responsibilities. Children. Partners. Rent or mortgages. Taxes. Stability matters.

Choosing to build something of your own does not mean you suddenly become reckless or detached from reality. In fact, it often requires more responsibility, not less. There are ways to live in both worlds: the creative, intuitive world and the structured, legal, grounded one.

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The Building Phase Is Real (and Often Unseen)

Building a business takes time — often far more than people expect. Sometimes years.

When I first started my massage practice, I had two clients a month. For months. Then one referral came in. Then another. I celebrated those early clients as wins — because they were.

Yes, there were moments when I thought, This isn’t enough. I can’t support myself.
But I kept going.

I was 23 and living with my parents at the time — and I name that honestly, because everyone’s starting point is different. A single parent working multiple jobs is navigating a completely different reality. The point isn’t comparison — it’s persistence.

Most small businesses don’t fail because the idea wasn’t good. They fail because discouragement sets in before momentum has time to build. The early phase is quiet, demanding, and often thankless. But it is still progress.

You are building.

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I’m Not Here to Sell You a Fantasy

I’m not a business coach. I’m not here to promise seven figures or overnight success.

I’m here to say this instead:

Good on you.
Good on you for stepping outside your comfort zone.
Good on you for doing something most people only dream about.
Good on you for being willing to feel uncomfortable, misunderstood, and uncertain.

When you follow your intuition, creativity, or true path, it often stirs discomfort in others. That reaction is not a reflection of your failure — and it is not your responsibility to manage.

You are not wrong for wanting something different.
You are not naive for wanting meaningful work.
You are not irresponsible for trying.

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You’re in Good Company

History is full of people who were doubted, dismissed, or openly criticized for following an unconventional path.

• Oprah Winfrey was told she was “unfit for television.”
• J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before Harry Potter found a home.
• Steve Jobs was fired from the company he helped create.
• Frida Kahlo was largely dismissed and marginalized during her lifetime.
• Howard Schultz (Starbucks) was told people would never pay that much for coffee.
• The Airbnb founders were told their idea was absurd — especially during the 2008 recession.

None of these people followed consensus.
They followed conviction.

And while not every entrepreneur is meant to become famous, the pattern is the same:
new ideas are almost always misunderstood before they’re accepted.

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Entrepreneurship Often Runs in Families (Exposure Matters)

I grew up watching both of my parents work for themselves. My mother was a seamstress creating beautiful children’s and doll clothes. My father ran his own drafting business, collaborating with architects on remodels and designs.

They were home. They were present. And without realizing it at the time, they were teaching us another way of working.

All four of us siblings are now self-employed. Not because we were pushed — but because we were shown it was possible. We didn’t inherit a roadmap. We inherited belief.

Today, my sister — who once didn’t even know she could paint — is showcasing her art at the Ritz-Carlton in Maui. My brothers took over my father’s business and modernized it, creating flexibility, freedom, and sustainability.

Exposure changes everything.

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The Trade-Off Is Real — and Worth Naming

Running your own business is not easy. It’s often more than a full-time job.

There’s no paid vacation. No backup when you don’t show up. No one covering for you when you’re sick.

But what you do get — over time — is something priceless: agency over your life.

Time. Flexibility. Choice.

Things that are hard to quantify until you’ve tasted them.

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A Final Word

Listen to your gut.
Keep going.
Consistency matters more than perfection.

And remember: many of the people doubting you are not malicious — they’re afraid. Often of failure. Often of change. Often of seeing someone else do what they didn’t believe was possible.

That fear is not yours to carry.

with love,

Bridgette Joy