Rethinking The Definition Of ‘Entrepreneur’ – Forbes

Calling yourself an #entrepreneur is to define yourself as many things: You are declaring yourself an innovator and a risk taker, and may find yourself pigeonholed with assumptions and stereotypes. However, an entrepreneur cannot be defined by a group of characteristics.

As the traditional route of finding employment has become increasingly challenging, the aspiration to become an entrepreneur has risen, making the original definition of entrepreneur problematic.

believe there are good opportunities for entrepreneurship, up by more than 20% since 2011. These days, you can be an entrepreneur if you’re a mother making wedding cakes during the school day, or a young horseback rider setting up a #business introducing buyers to sellers of the finest dressage horses. You don’t need a flashy office or lots of space;

To quote the dictionary, an entrepreneur is “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business…” But can we assume that this term also refers to those getting it wrong? There was a time when I wouldn’t dream of putting myself in league with someone just starting out. I worked hard to become a success; I failed miserably and had to drag myself up again a few times, so it made me cringe when every fresh-out-of-university free thinker with a slightly different idea labelled themselves an “entrepreneur” in lieu of gaining relevant experience. I wondered why these newcomers wanted to sit at my proverbial table — an opinion I kicked myself for later.

Sometimes known as “wantrepreneurs,” it’s hard to take a swing at these guys: you can’t fault their enthusiasm. Other terms for these kids are “solopreneurs” and “micropreneurs,” which somehow differentiates them from “real” #entrepreneurs with staff and cash flow. Most small businesses in America are single employee operations, many making handsome profits. Every entrepreneur with a staff and huge profit margin was at one time a person with an idea and the will to try to see it through. In a recent

 

Curated from Rethinking The Definition Of ‘Entrepreneur’ – Forbes