Hey, Everyone!
As a few of you may know, I'm a big fanatic of entrepreneurship and what it's able to provide for people.
According to Business Dictionary, entrepreneurship means:
"The capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit."
Although this is very true in terms of what an entrepreneur does, it doesn't really explain the emotional and psychological side of an entrepreneur. After immersing myself in entrepreneurial networks, talking with VCs, and working on a few startups of my own, I will very briefly talk about what entrepreneurship is to me. :D Here we go...
The Good
Entrepreneurship is all about using creativity to solve problems most people don't notice. If there is a problem in the world or even in a small community, most people will look at the situation and accept it for being how it is and say, "That's how it always has been and so it's fine that way." Most people may not even see a certain circumstance as a problem.
An entrepreneur will look at the situation and say, "This can be improved" or "Maybe we can find a way to fix that."
Literally speaking, every piece of technology that we have today is because someone in the past had the thought, "How can I make that better, faster, more efficient, or safer?" These people, these entrepreneurs, were the people who thought outside the box and found different ways to provide a service or product that made life better or more fun.
Not only this, but entrepreneurship also provides the lifestyle most people only dream of. I first learned about residual income when I started exposing myself to the world of entrepreneurship. Let me tell you, residual income is what we should all be striving for! Receiving money in your pocket without having to be in a cubicle or at the office was amazing to me! I have achieved that and I am helping others achieve it too!
The opportunity to be your own boss and work your own hours? Yes, please! Is it easy? Of course not. But it's well worth it.
The Bad
Any entrepreneur in the world, including me, will tell you that there are more frustrations and headaches in this career path than there are celebrations and parties. Why is that?
Because entrepreneurship is all about going through failures and blunders until eventually reaching success. Even with a mentor, the best way to develop your skills is to get in the trenches and go through the process of trial and error on your own. A mentor will provide you with guidance, they won't do the work for you.
Depending on the people you surround yourself with, entrepreneurship may also have a negative connotation. I have talked to multiple people that have told me the label "entrepreneur" is meant for someone that is unemployed and doesn't try to get a job. These people, people who only talk as if they are actively working towards the success of a business project, are called wantrepreneurs.
The fact of the matter is that people around entrepreneurs really only care about the potential success. This is why you often hear stories of people not truly supporting the entrepreneur during the hustle. But once they are successful, the entrepreneur gets a lot of praise. In my personal experience, it's rare for an entrepreneur to get full support while they are just starting their journey. Instead, the entrepreneur is often encouraged to stop what they are doing, "act normal", and get a job like everyone else.
But ultimately...
As with any profession, there are pros and cons. In my opinion, the benefits of entrepreneurship greatly outweigh the downfalls.
Entrepreneurship is a word that is often tossed around without fully understanding what it means. Because of this, I can already tell you that entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Some people simply are not cut out for the rejection and hardships that one must go through in order to achieve entrepreneurial success.
But for those that stick it out and make it to the finish line, I'm sure they'll tell you that it was well worth the battle scars.
Extra Readings! :D
Best Wishes!
