In the simplest of terms, an entrepreneur is someone who sees what no one else sees, and takes action towards the implementation of their idea. To be an entrepreneur, therefore, one must be able to construct new ideas (and not just propose them) while adding and creating value. Motivated by a subjective concept of self-accomplishment and self-fulfilment, an entrepreneur is unable to stay put. As creative ideas flow into their minds, they take action. A successful entrepreneur, however, is able to organize such ideas, and is focused enough to implement them in a well planned and thought out flow. Natural leaders, they exert passion for what they do, and influence those around them. Most importantly, however, they (re)direct their efforts towards real market necessities, and are always worried in making their products/services better than existing competitors.
Nevertheless, not all entrepreneurs will become a business owner. Their real “success” metric is how positive of an impact they have on their domain/knowledge area. They love what they do, even if this means they embrace their current jobs. Entrepreneurial employees are well-versed professionals who share the passion of the business owners, and are capable of seeing their same vision. They work had at bringing that vision to life. Co-workers are admired by their talent and how they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, rather than a common egocentric view of being `all about them’. Ventures and businesses are ultimately, a team sport. A wise entrepreneur knows this, and genuinely want to be part of the team for the long haul, rather than being a “free agent” who wants to get out fast without adding value and meaning to their work.
Founders, obviously fit the definition of a entrepreneur: they see something no one else does. They take actions towards creating something big from nothing. They surround themselves with extremely talented performers. As Steve Blank once wrote, “This concept of creating something that few others see — and the reality distortion field necessary to recruit the team to build it — is at the heart of what startup founders do. It is a very different skill than science, engineering, or management.‘ Tenacious and agile, they are capable of improvising towards bringing order out of chaos. But most of all, they are resilient, and have a relentless focus on execution.
As once said, ”Both founders and entrepreneurial employees prefer to build something from the ground up rather than join an existing company. Like jazz musicians or improv actors, they prefer to operate in a chaotic environment with multiple unknowns. They sense the general direction they’re headed in, OK with uncertainty and surprises, using the tools at hand, along with their instinct to achieve their vision. These types of people are rare, unique and crazy. They’re artists.”
There is, however, one thing that is unteachable and is not genetically passed on from entrepreneur to entrepreneur, and that is opportunity. While there exists a large number of entrepreneurs in the world, not all are rich, or well-known, or fulfilled. Some have had great ideas, but fell hard on unfavourable circumstances. And while not every entrepreneur has stopped because of this, having a opportunity certainly played a large role. They continue to be, however, “entrepreneurs”, and brand their flags with joy at all times.
I am an entrepreneur.. are you?
