This is probably a phenomenon that most people are familiar with. You go to work every day, you put in hard work, dedication and time and at the end of the month, what pops into your bank account is a measly (and depressing) reminder of your worth in cash.
It is even harder when you're on your own, running a set up that's still a baby. As if you didn't have enough struggles already, the burden of being underpaid is a winner.
Now you're a creative person. What goes into your work is a lot more than technical skills and clever thinking. There are emotions invested, hopes and aspirations, a burning desire to create something that has never been created before. This is one job where you put in a tablespoon of yourself, every time. What you present to the client is a part of you.
Which is why a creative person can suck at marketing - at selling herself, because to her, she is not for sale. The philosophical conflict starts there and if it is not controlled, it can make any enterprise a haphazard place of work.
And when in spite of this conflict, you sell a little bit of yourself to somebody and that person offers you a fifty rupee note, it is like being slapped and stabbed at the same time. They don't know what we're even putting up on offer! I guess they will never understand. For them, it is a cold, calculating business and the only thing that drives them is - how can we cringe and save money for ourselves? How can we devise new ways to fool creative people into serving us for less than what they deserve?
These experiences teach you to be a better entrepreneur, to look out for deception, quote higher, negotiate less, and perhaps someday be so darn good that whatever you quote, nobody can refuse!
But these experiences, they also leave you broken in places.
Some days, it feels tiring to be an entrepreneur. Juggling too many balls at one time takes a toll. You want to simply quit and walk back to the employment circles, safe, secure and comfortable.
