Rethink Entrepreneurship

Let's reconsider "Entrepreneurship."

People often say he or she is an entrepreneur, but is this the right way to think about it?

Some years ago, Seth Godin wrote about the four traits of an entrepreneur, offering a perspective for us to rethink the concept.

Entrepreneurship is a verb; we act like entrepreneurs. It's a behavior that we exhibit, not something we inherently are.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary relates "Entrepreneur" to its traditional origins as a Go-Getter when it is applied to an independent business owner. Someone who, against the odds, decides to start something, most likely a business where risk is the order of the day. Seth goes on to say that these traits are the unique characteristics of an entrepreneur; everything else can be hired.

• The first characteristic is that they make decisions.
• The second is that they invest in assets and activities that aren't secure just yet.
• The third is that they persuade people to become supporters of their non-guaranteed successful mission.
• And lastly, they do not run from, but rather embrace, working in things that may actually not work. In other words, they have a high degree of tolerance for risk and are very open to change.

Some examples of people who decide to behave like entrepreneurs are obvious, but it is not so obvious why entrepreneurship has become a buzzword in corporations in the last decades, as they seek people who have this kind of propensity for risk and position them in their companies.

I think the answer is, of course, innovation. You are probably better off by getting a "Go-Getter" in your team so they can transform an idea into reality against all odds, before someone else in the competition may take the lead.

You can choose something safe, like buying a completely established business and being a business owner, then you are a business owner, you are not behaving as an entrepreneur. You can choose to behave like one, or not.

I find that there are more areas than just the business arena where we can decide to behave like entrepreneurs. I think it's a behavior we should practice more consistently; it gives you a certain kind of journey experience that you can't get in a step-by-step guide or a guided rail tour.

If you have any thoughts on it, please leave them in the comment section below! And if you are not yet a member of my weekly newsletter, this is the moment I ask you to consider it, assuming you may have liked my content!

I write weekly about crafting beauty in the things that I find important in my life: Entrepreneurship, Woodworking, Family, Faith, and Life.

Until the next one,

J