Said It Here

Why am I embarrassed to run a blue-collar business?

Pressure from social expectations and the pursuit of white-collar prestige make it difficult to talk about running a lucrative blue-collar business, even when it earns well. This leads to hiding the work out of fear of judgment and mockery from peers who value traditional degree-based careers over manual labor.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Keeping the business a secret from friends and family members
  2. 2
    Working extreme hours behind the scenes (nights, weekends, and early mornings) to maintain both jobs without social overlap

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“I can't help but feel embarrassed to know that I went to such a great college for a finance degree, and here I am shooting soap at cars and chiseling melted candy out of minivan cupholders.”source ↗

“The business does too well to ignore, but it feels so beneath me to tell people what I do.”source ↗

Make_That_Money · r/Entrepreneur · 1,476 upvotes

“I have had people make fun of the business when I was starting out which is part of the reason why I tried so hard to keep it hidden.”source ↗

Make_That_Money · r/Entrepreneur · 130 upvotes

“My side business is tree and stump removal. I’ve heard it all “too hard,” “too dangerous,” “that’s a meth head’s job.” And you know what? I don’t care.”source ↗

StreetrodHD · r/Entrepreneur · 26 upvotes

Where this came up

r/Entrepreneurcareer pivotentrepreneurshipside hustle

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