What exactly is an entrepreneur and is it possible to turn the switch off? I’ll answer the second question first: No. You can’t. You might drop the ball for a long time but you’ll die unsatisfied if you forever stop action towards building something. Now that we got that out of the way, what is an entrepreneur?
My friend sent me this article today and I had to chuckle a bit. It seemed in many ways to paint a perfect picture of me, but a few points jumped out where I stood strongly against them. I’ll only highlight the points that I have comments on or disagree with:
4. You marvel at successful business owners. Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are just a few of your heroes.
Although their bags of money are impressive, it would be hard to write a list of men I would like to be less than these folks with the exception perhaps of Branson. Zuckerberg is responsible for the greatest invasion of privacy ever, Jobs was a demonically inspired and a harsh man to people who built his empire and Gates is – well – boring like the government. Yawn me to death. I’m sure they all started as entrepreneurs but they seemed to all end real bad. Hopefully Branson will be exception.
18. You like calling the shots. You like the sound of being a director.
No. I don’t. The last thing in the world I would want to be is a director. I want to be a builder and an encourager of talent – somehow.
19. You set goals for yourself. Big or small, goals fill your life.
No. I don’t. And that’s also why I haven’t succeeded yet.
23. You plan everything down to the little details. Plans are a prerequisite for any activity.
Not even close to who I am. I hate plans. See #19 above. But systems? I love systems. Systems help me not have to plan as much.
29. You’re hyper competitive. You can’t even play a board game without flipping that switch.
Nope. I’m not. However, I love to build stuff. I feel that if you build stuff and learn how to build well, like houses, people will buy the product and like working with you.
32. You negotiate whatever you can. Flea markets and salaries are just the beginning.
Nope. I don’t negotiate anything. If someone wants to write out a contract where they take 80% of my company and I am excited about building it, I’d probably sign it on the spot. That’s also why I insist on working with logical people.
36. You avoid things that waste your time. You’re immune to mobile games and idle social-media time.
I have to give a big ‘amen’ to this one. Like a loud ‘amen’. Freakin’ hate crap that sucks my will to live – like TV.
38. You make rational decisions, not emotional ones. For the most part, you trust your logic over your emotions
No. Not me.
43. You’re crazy about new technology. You’re addicted to learning how new technologies can improve your life.
There it is! woot!
44. You read the news every day. It’s an ingrained habit.
I only read the Good News of the Bible every day. Worldly news I let others filter and then tell me if I happen to talk to them.
All in all, this is an amazing summary blog about what an entrepreneur is.
To expand slightly, for me, it’s the most incredible thought to think that perhaps I, a grain of sand on a beach, might be able to impact the entire beach if just the right opportunity comes at the right time, and I take the right action with everything I’ve got, with the right people.
It is on this hope that I keep fighting and never give up.
