I saw something the other day that talked about the differences between a situational entrepreneur and a “true” entrepreneur. They defined a true entrepreneur as one who built something that grew into a large publically traded entity. I would venture to say that there are a lot of entrepreneurs out there that would disagree with this definition, including me. However, it got me thinking – what is the definition of an entrepreneur?
So here are my top 10 reasons that you might be an entrepreneur:
Reason #10
You might be an entrepreneur if you are always thinking about what could be, not what is. You think in future terms about “what ifs” and believe that you can make it happen.
Reason #9
You might be an entrepreneur if you are willing to bet your life savings on an idea that you just know will make it. Even though you have no evidence to prove it.
Reason #8
You might be an entrepreneur if you are willing to bet anyone’s life savings on that idea and don’t have a problem asking Mom and Dad, the in-laws, college buddies or the neighbors to pony up.
Reason #7
You might be an entrepreneur if you are just sure your idea is the best and although you know nothing about starting or running a business, you do it anyway. If Bill Gates could do it, why can’t you?
Reason #6
You might be an entrepreneur if you hate to follow the rules and prefer guidelines instead. Yours is a world of grays, black and white is just too confining. Rules were meant to be broken. You have always colored outside the lines.
Reason #5
You might be an entrepreneur if you can’t understand why anyone would work for “the man” when you can be your own boss! You have difficulty taking direction.
Reason #4
You might be an entrepreneur if you suffer from “Bright Shiny Object Syndrome” – you can’t focus on any one idea for too long because there are so many bright shiny objects to follow! Where do you start?
Reason #3
You might be an entrepreneur if you are eternally optimistic and when you approach a problem you see 10 ways it could be done, versus someone who sees 10 reasons why it will never work.
Reason #2
You might be an entrepreneur if you truly believe that if you build it, they will come. You can inspire those around you with your vision of the future and never let that belief die. The best evangelist has nothing on you.
Reason #1
And finally, you might be an entrepreneur if you are essentially unemployable or been told you are a “bad employee” and running your own company is the only way you can keep a job – although you now realize you have worked for free or under market value for a very long time…but you go back to reason #2 because you know that success is just around the corner.
Congratulations to all you entrepreneurs who are living your dreams. It’s National Small Business Week! Enjoy!