The definition of an entrepreneur
By Rebecca Burn-Callander, published 1 year ago in Leadership.
Entrepreneur and speech writer Brian Jenner has just brought out his first business book: I'm Just Phoning To Chase My Invoice. The book is jam-packed with the things you really need to know about starting a business. Real Business will bring you a few nuggets every week. First up: the definition of an entrepreneur.
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After setting up his own business with a little help from the Prince's Trust in the late nineties, Brian Jenner has embarked on a project to inform fellow entrepreneurs about the trials and tribulations of starting a business, with some very useful hints and tips along the way. The book is organised like a glossary of terms, with entries from "Accounts" to "Zihuatanejo". This week, we bring you the excerpt labelled "Courage".
CourageOne definition of an entrepreneur is a person who doesn't have a job. When I first expressed the idea of setting out on my own, I remained attached to the idea of having the security of a job.
I had a day off midweek and I was sitting in a downmarket cafe with an American friend in Shepherd's Bush. He said to me: "Look at these people. They don't have jobs. They still survive. You don't need a job to survive."
You can buy Jenner's book from the Chasing My Invoice website. Alternatively, why not let us know your definition of an entrepreneur? Post your comment below.
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5 comments.
http://twitter.com/Real_Business 1 year ago.
Thoughts from the Twittersphere...
@PaulSmith7 says: "Hmmm. Not sure. There's plenty of people on Piccadilly Gardens without jobs - I doubt many of them are entrepreneurs"
@busbyjon notes: "I think there are two sides to the definition, as their behaviour tends to be very similar too.."
Ben Aston 1 year ago.
An entrepreneur is a sky-diving chess player.
William Cohen 1 year ago.
An entrepreneur usually has to live on hope, rather than experience.
Kate Craig-Wood 1 year ago.
I think that is a hopeless definition of an entrepreneur! Even when I gave up my employment to start Memset (which today, by the way, is the country's best Web host according to many) I still had a job: running my fledgling business. In fact, I had about a dozen jobs since it was just me!
My definition of an entrepreneur is: A person who is bold enough, diligent enough and bright enough to take one of their business ideas and turn it into a growing, profitable business.
Note that the above definition excludes those who run with others' ideas (eg. franchisees) and those without growth ambition (eg. home workers).
Kate.
Tim Acheson 1 year ago.
That's an interesting definition. However, the entrepreneurial spirit can thrive in the workplace too, under the right conditions. E.g. In the web and media sectors in which I work there are some good companies where entrepreneurialism is encouraged and often flourishes. I can actually recall the moment when I first heard the word “entrepreneur” as a child. I could tell from the context that this was a bit of a special word. I was already in love with a few other cool words, like “inventor,” or “philanthropist,” and “altruist”. I asked my father what an entrepreneur is, and he replied very simply and without hesitation “somebody who puts his money where his mouth is”. My own personal definition of “an entrepreneur” is somebody who has a vision and tries to make it happen. http://www.timacheson.com