Entrepreneurship Is an Attitude

I just read a great article in, of all places, RDH Magazine, the professional journal for dental hygienists, entitled Entrepreneurs, Negotiators, Whiners. It explains beautifully the difference, as I see it, between merely being self-employed and being an entrepreneur.

Here's how the author of the article describes entrepreneurs:

Entrepreneurs focus on solving life’s problems and are not willing to wait for the rest of the world to catch up. As soon as a solution for a clinical problem is on the horizon, they look for ways to implement the new idea, product, or treatment. If the world is spinning too slowly, entrepreneurs write a new script, select the cast, acquire the props, and stage the new production.

Entrepreneurship isn't a particular business model - it's an approach to business, and one you can take whether you are self-employed, launching your own start-up, or even employed by someone else and just leading a new initiative. What makes an entrepreneur is the assumption of risk and along with it, the assumption of responsibility.

An entrepreneur doesn't wait for someone else to make the decision, or solve the problem, or even ask for the problem to be solved. An entrepreneur recognizes problems as opportunities and takes it upon themselves to solve them. Higher risk, higher reward.


original from entrepreneurs.about.com