One thing defines an entrepreneur – building action.
They’re usually the marketers – doing *anything* to get people to buy their stuff. We all have the image in our heads; the “wheeler dealer”, taking every opportunity to try to exploit (and other people) for profit.
Indeed, the term “entrepreneur” seems to have spread in the current lexicon, from “something you’ve done” (usually to improve people’s lives) to a mix of “crazy money swindler” and “someone who doesn’t ‘follow the rules'” “.
The reality is that the modern meaning cannot be further on from the truth.
Entrepreneurship is not profession or job. It’s not a label you put on yourself to make yourself more likable to a certain party or clientele… it’s way of doing things.
Many “entrepreneurial” types actually have jobs. They will never admit to being “entrepreneurs” even though they exhibit all the traits of one. The question is what are these traits and whether you – or someone you know – has them.
What is an “entrepreneur”?
Entrepreneur is a word derived from French – loosely describing a “problem solver”.
Although its connotation has changed over the years, the premise remains – an “entrepreneur” is someone who creates a “gadget” and has the ability to encourage other people to buy it.
What this “widget” is can be a commercial product, service or an idea.
It’s actually interesting…some of the greatest “entrepreneurs” in history actually had Nothing to do with money. They were completely focused on developing a specific “outcome” and committed themselves wholeheartedly to its realization.
Whether that means conquering the Persian Empire (Alexander), developing the light bulb (Edison) or creating robust computer systems (Gary Kildall), conquering the Aztec Empire (Cortés), the term “entrepreneur” really denotes someone who wants construction something.
The BIG difference between the “original” entrepreneurs and the new age groups of idiots (who usually admire the hedonistic lifestyle + seem to have a fascination with “crypto”) is that the former were usually dedicated to one profession and managed to “leverage” that through the development of increasingly ambitious “projects”.
These projects can be anything… but they everything it had an underlying “reason” for it to exist. This reason was what drove the creator to pursue the endeavor and continue even when it was questionable whether it was even “possible” or not. Obviously the reason we remember them is that they not only discovered it was “possible” but completely doable…hence their success.
How to tell if someone is the one
The typical sign is that they will strange things…
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interest in esoteric ideas
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pursuit of interests not directly related to the accumulation of wealth
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strong displays of passion for certain topics
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immersive nature with different ideas (trying to recreate historical events, etc.)
The point is, REAL entrepreneurs are usually not concerned about money at all.
Their main concern is the creation of “something”. What that thing is is determined by either their character or their interests…but c everyone for example, for someone who has achieved great success, they have been completely and utterly focused on doing “their” thing, no matter what.
This is actually important.
It seems like in today’s world every 18 year old man wants to be an “entrepreneur” – as if it’s a badge of honor or something. If you don’t “grow” you “die”…right?
The truth is, our society has become so focused on convenience that the majority of these money-grabbing idiots have absolutely no business, even if they consider themselves “entrepreneurs”.
They have no experience, no skills and are only latching on to the latest “fad” to escape the mediocrity that has permeated Western consumer culture.
Entrepreneurship usually follows YEARS of interest in a particular subject. It usually follows a HUGE investment of time and energy in cultivating a skill set, experience and “plugging in” in a particular space.
The most important thing – entrepreneurship is doing something “your way”.
Stay away from modern idiots
The BIGGEST problem I keep seeing from the bunch of morons is that they are ALL following a “book” or some other “rulebook” on “how” to be an entrepreneur.
i see it everything the weather… boys who read everything the biographies, the neurological studies, the latest books of the big rich fat cat – all try to discover the “secret” of enormous success.
The ironic thing is that all this stuff only works on the “outside” side of the problem – the same people who read all the “stuff” end up with the SAME questions… “what am I selling?” – “how do I know if I’ll make money from product?” – “what is it a secret become rich?”.
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If you have to ask “what am I selling”, you are not an entrepreneur.
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If you have to listen to what a “successful” person has to say about a topic, you are not an entrepreneur.
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If you have to consider all the “rules” suggested by others, you are not an entrepreneur.
The point is, the modern world is full of wannabe losers. Even the “successful” ones aren’t really successful – they might have made a bunch of money, but what did they actually do I achieve? The answer is relatively little (or even nothing).
The truth is, if you want to “be” an entrepreneur, you have to put in the work.
EVERYONE has their job. Some are models. Some are football players. Some are computer programmers. Some are artists.
The “trick” is to do ANYTHING to get ahead in the industry; clean floors as needed.
Once you start making some progress, the “entrepreneurial” stuff comes leverage any progress made in it – either to create and market a product or to help the market better appreciate the potential of another device/product.
Traits of “real” entrepreneurs
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Quiet (or at least reserved)
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Fully capable of a hug failure (in fact, using it as an incentive to change/adapt)
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Working always on various elements within their “industry” (again, each has a place)
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No fear of social constructs (just because someone said it wasn’t true)
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Laser focus on what “they” I want to make (want to bring sustainable agriculture to Africa? That’s what a “real” entrepreneur will actually do)
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No fear yes give freely (most “entrepreneur” types aren’t attached to money at all… usually don’t have much until they achieve commercial success)
If you haven’t guessed it, the core is the goal.
The modern world places very little emphasis on purpose; rather it focuses on productivity.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but it robs most people of their passion. That’s good for GDP and McDonald’s – but bad for the creativity hidden in large numbers of people.
If you want to adopt ‘entrepreneurial’ traits, the key is to tune in to a specific ‘purpose’ – through which you can invest your whole life.
If you just look at a Ferrari and think “you want to get rich” – entrepreneurship won’t do it. It is a lot a difficult path, with only the most persistent and hardy surviving.
You have to put in the work and only then will you discover hidden opportunities where you can apply your expertise, experience or network to build something of real value to the world. This real value is then absorbed by the market, which will either pay handsomely for it – or reject it. To a large extent, this determines whether someone can be considered an “entrepreneur” or not.