The tail of the unemployable entrepreneur is less often discussed. Many business owners believe that they have the option of employment if their business fails or they simply decide to shift their careers. 

If you are considering starting a business or are already an entrepreneur, you should be aware that you may be or become an unemployable entrepreneur. 

There are multiple reasons behind why entrepreneurs become unemployable and I will highlight some of them in this article. 

Many entrepreneurs believe that starting and growing a business equips them with skills that will assist them in employment, should they choose to pursue it at a later stage. And this is true in principle, however, the reality is that as an entrepreneur you are likely to become unemployable. 

Let’s look at some of the reasons why.

Your skills are not the only factor 

As an entrepreneur, you will develop a multi-dimensional set of skills. These may help you excel in employment. However, employers often consider other factors and do not exclusively focus on your abilities alone. 

Long-term commitment 

Being a former or current entrepreneur undermines the prospects of your long-term commitment to a company. 

Many employers will assume that you are seeking a role for the short-term and will not commit to the company on a long-term basis. 

This translates to further costs incurred to the employer to re-hire and replace you as an employee. 

Obedience 

Yes, I used the word “obedience”. And please do not get me wrong: there are many employers who are great and do not expect “obedient” people in the strict definition of the term. 

However, being an entrepreneur undermines your ability to take orders and not be the “one in charge”. 

In an employer’s view, this raises the possibility of workplace conflict and ultimately having to let you go. The latter also comes with financial and legal liabilities for the employer. 

Conflict of interest 

And lastly, an employer may believe that you are seeking to work for them for the sole purpose of accessing their trade secrets, client base and internal protocols to start a competing business at a later stage.

I do not need to explain this any further as there is no single company that would willingly assist a potential future competitor. 

If you are considering entrepreneurship, you must understand and accept the reality that you may become an unemployable entrepreneur if you consider a career shift in the future. Therefore, you must balance all probabilities and accept that this path may be permanent. 

I have also made a YouTube video on this topic with reference to my own example, make sure to check it out.

If you need help with either entrepreneurship or employment. Feel free to reach out to me to discover how I can help. 

About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international graduate, I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business. Now I help aspiring business owners and job seekers fulfil their potential.