To be or not to be an entrepreneur…
The definition of entrepreneur is “a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit”. So, in essence, any small business owner who takes that brave step to set up their own business is an “entrepreneur”.
However, I tend to disagree with that and think any small business owner is entrepreneurial but there is more to whether they can be labelled as an entrepreneur.
For me, there has to be more substance to the term being applied to someone who has set up their own business – there needs to be elements of success and a proven track record in establishing the business (or multiple businesses). Don’t get me wrong, failure is likely to be part of the process, as not every venture will be successful (as the stats indicate). There will be numerous “war stories” for those people that have gone down this path and eventually reached the level of success where being described as an entrepreneur is appropriate.
As Richard Osborne states in this month’s “spotlight on” interview, “entrepreneur” has become commoditised and is used far too frequently that you could argue it no longer has the kudos associated with it that it may have done historically.
Richard also agrees with me that the “honour” of being deemed an entrepreneur is something that should be bestowed on you, not self-claimed. That peers looking from the outside can assess your success and in so doing, give you that label.
His experience and knowledge of 20 years being employed by someone else and to date, working with 100s of business owners, gives him the confidence and ability to offer business advice, coaching and training when given the opportunity to do so.
Having experienced the trials and tribulations that face a small business on that entrepreneurial journey, he is passionate about making sure businesses don't make the same mistakes that he made en route! He is a big believer in collaboration and encourages businesses to work together to grow their businesses; as well as offering help and support to each other for mutual gain.
