Are You Really An Entrepreneur?
It seems like everyone these days considers themselves an entrepreneur. Take me for example, am I an entrepreneur? I’d like to think I have the entrepreneur mindset. But most “businesses” I’ve built over the years I would consider small businesses, not entrepreneurial endeavors.
If I wasn’t there, they would cease to make money. That’s more a definition for a small business owner. Also, nothing I’ve done has been really innovative. Sure, I was the first in my elementary to buy a tub of candy from Sam’s Club and sell it on the bus. But that’s nothing more innovative than the local dime store. And if I wasn’t there, I sure wasn’t making money!
I’m not writing this to call anyone out. I merely trying to get people to see that they may not be entrepreneur’s in the traditional sense but rather small business owners trying to make a living working for themselves.
To become an entrepreneur, it’s my opinion that you have to utilize a business system or change the way a current system works, or create a completely new system, or, do all of the above.
In my opinion a true entrepreneur is creating money from other peoples work as well as thinking of something that is new an original. If you have a network of sites, that if you left for a year, would cease to run and make you no money, you might not be an entrepreneur.
Just some food for thought to keep you going towards financial freedom.
Comments
Comment from Tony
Time: May 19, 2007, 1:59 pm
You’re quite right, everyone seems to have a personal definition of entrepreneurship these days, but I think maybe a modern definition of a true entrepreneur might be something like:
Someone who starts a new and relatively novel business with the intention of selling all or part of that business later on for a profit. He or she starts out with 100% responsibility and risk, but with the intention of gradually passing that responsibility and risk on to others for a profit. Naturally then, this will mean some fresh new ideas or product that other people are willing to invest in, or perhaps try to buy out completely.
Entrepreneurship seems to fall somewhere between simple self-employment and pure venture capitalism and is really just one of those graduated and ambiguous terms that economists are famous for. Everything in economics terminology is graduated and ambiguous. Greenspan made a science of ambiguous “Fed-Speak”.
Just a thought………
Comment from Josh
Time: June 13, 2007, 2:18 pm
I disagree, I think an entrepeneur is anybody that makes more than he needs and knows how to make more money from money (unlimitedly). This is not saying his greed is unlimited, but rather he doesn’t let money sit on the table and knows how to make use of it. (I would hope whatever he makes is well spent back into society, but that’s his business). A person who makes money doesn’t care whether he’s been to school or invented something new.
Comment from Deron
Time: July 24, 2007, 8:20 am
I ask myself this sometimes. I wonder if I’m really an entrepreneur. I feel like I am as far as my mindset. I’m always thinking new ways to make a living online (although I’ve not made any money yet from my online ventures). I like to think of an entrepreneur as someone who can take either something existing and turn it into a profit or build something from the ground up and turn a profit.
PS: What did you run in track? I was all state in high school as well in the 400…
Comment from Erik
Time: July 29, 2007, 10:29 pm
Aloha Deron-
This online stuff takes time to make money. You just gotta find your niche and when you start making money you gotta keep it after it and don’t be content.
As for my running, I ran the 800 and 1600 mostly. Dabbled in the 3200 and ran the 400 in relay’s.
Fun times.
Aloha
E
Comment from Michael Samuel
Time: September 7, 2007, 1:09 pm
Definitely, Entrepreneurship isn’t the act of spending hours in return for money; it is investing in anything that will bring long-term, steady profits for life! till now I can’t call myself an entrepreneur but I think I will reach this point soon….thanks for your demonstration
Comment from LA Head Shot Photography
Time: September 8, 2007, 12:07 pm
what is an entrepreneur? hmmmm! your article reminds me of a story i once heard of two early men who were hired to bring buckets of water from the river to fill the cistern in the middle of town. one made a good living carrying buckets day after day (had to be there to make money) the other man invented the pipeline, and charged the town for the use of it at a cheaper rate, by the gallon, than carrying it in one bucket at a time.(easier than working on it day by day,and he made filling the cistern (and the cistern itself),obsolete. at the same time freeing himself from having to carry buckets of water constantly to make it work. was it hard to build the pipeline? sure it was! did he build it in one day? of course not!! did his vision pay off? you bet it did! which man was th entrepreneur? take a wild guess!!! sincerely, Todd
Comment from David Anderson
Time: January 6, 2008, 7:11 pm
The question should be “How to become a good entrepreneur?”. Being a good entrepreneur is that you know how to manage your business, satisfy your customers needs and eventually you will be able to achieve financial freedom. Your goal is not only how to make money but also how to stay long in a business world.
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Comment from Carlos
Time: May 19, 2007, 4:54 am
Good point. Trading hours in return for money isn’t really what entrepreneurship is about. Like you said, it’s about making something that can make money by itself, with little to no input. I’m still working toward that point myself. It’s certainly not easy.