When I talk to business founders about why they made the leap to working for themselves I often hear them talk about the draw of entrepreneurial freedom. I sometimes reply with a lame joke about how entrepreneurial freedom means you can set you own hours, work any 100 hours of the week you want to… But the truth is that being your own boss does bring freedom; but that freedom means different things to different people.

To some Freedom means….

• Saying no
• Never having to worry about a merger, or buy-out making you “redundant”
• Being able to decide what your time is worth
• Being able to set your own priorities, tea party with the toddler on a sunny day, or time in the office
• Choosing who to work with, and being able to work only (or mostly) with people you like and respect
• Taking the vacation of your dreams while you’re young
• Being home for dinner every night

What does entrepreneurial freedom mean to you?

Sometimes when I have this conversation with a business founder it can be kind of a downer. They made the leap to have freedom, and they may have had it for a time, but they’ve traded some of that freedom for more success and business. Some of the work I do is to try to help businesses continue to grow so that the founders can get more of the freedom back.

Are you living the dream? What enabled you to stay with the dream, or what’s keeping you from living in the freedom you had in mind when you started out? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes. Brad is also the author of The Business Owner’s Champion: 6 Practices to Build your Nerve and your Business.