Because deciding how to waste your energy this year shouldn’t be done without a little analysis.
It’s 2025. Your LinkedIn feed is half layoffs, half hustle porn. You’re either being told to “build a personal brand” or “apply to 900 jobs and follow up with a cold email to the hiring manager’s cat.”
So here we are:
Should you start a business that may or may not succeed?
Or should you try to get hired into someone else’s already-on-fire startup?
Let’s break it down, before your browser crashes from too many open tabs on “How to monetize my skills.”
The State of Entrepreneurship in 2025
Entrepreneurship is the ultimate freedom fantasy. In 2025, you can launch a business in an afternoon with some Notion templates, a chatty AI co-founder, and a Canva logo that says “I’m serious, I promise.”
Pros:
- You make the rules.
- You pick the clients.
- You keep the upside (whatever’s left after taxes and therapy).
Cons:
- You are also the intern, the CEO, the social media manager, and the janitor.
- There is no “weekend.” Only time you feel guilty for not working.
- You’ll explain what you “do” at least 14 different ways before your family stops asking if you’re unemployed.
Big Question:
Do you actually want to build something, or are you just allergic to authority?
The State of Getting a Job in 2025
Applying for jobs now feels like playing a rigged escape room where none of the doors are real and the timer is broken.
Pros:
- Predictable income.
- Health insurance (maybe).
- A team Slack channel full of memes and existential dread.
Cons:
- The job market is oversaturated and underpaying.
- ATS bots are the new gatekeepers of hope.
- “Culture fit” is code for “we don’t know what we’re doing but we don’t want to hire you.”
Big Question:
Do you want stability, or do you just want someone else to be in charge of your misery?
The Brutal Pros/Cons Chart
| Entrepreneurship | Employment | |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Unstable, maybe huge | Stable, maybe insulting |
| Schedule | You own it | They own you |
| Stress | Chaotic freedom | Predictable oppression |
| Growth | Learn everything | Learn one thing deeply |
| Exit strategy | IPO? Burnout? Who knows? | 2-week notice |
The Forgotten Third Option: The Hybrid Life
Let’s be real, most people are cobbling together a life out of contracts, freelance gigs, and half-baked side hustles. It’s the gig economy’s Frankenstein phase.
Try this:
- Freelance while job hunting.
- Build a product while contracting.
- Use your current job as a VC for your startup idea (but like… quietly).
2025 isn’t about choosing one identity. It’s about stacking income streams like a nervous raccoon building a nest out of dollar bills and unpaid invoices.
So… Which One Should You Pick?
Whichever one:
- You can actually show up for this month
- Pays you enough to sleep without cold sweats
- Doesn’t make you fully hate yourself by Thursday
Don’t let LinkedIn grifters or your old boss decide your path. Test, pivot, commit, then re-decide in three months like a reasonable human trying to survive capitalism with their soul mostly intact.
Because at the end of the day, the question isn’t entrepreneur or employee?
It’s how do I want to spend my very limited energy without going full feral by Q4?
Need help navigating either path?
Or just need someone to validate your terrible choices in a professional tone?
I’ve got thoughts.
pmwarner.com/contact ← shameless CTA, because I’m a business, baby.
or read more… on marketing, general rants… Marketing Posts