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who is an entrepreneur?



According to the dictionary an entrepreneur is: "someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves seeing a new opportunity". Most definitions mention starting a business, taking risks, and seeing opportunities.

I've been debating a bit about what does entrepreneurship means. Is it enough to register a business legally? Or do you need to have a certain amount in revenue, clients or employees? What is the correct metric here? Is there something that tells you: "ok, now you are officially an entrepreneur"?

I used to believe that to be an entrepreneur I was required to have a solid business idea and hustle 12 to 16 hours a day - trying to make it big 💵.

Now, I see it differently. To me, being an entrepreneur is about how you see the world. If you look at problems, big or small, and see opportunities to find solutions, then you are an entrepreneur. Clients, money and all the "good stuff" are just a consequence of solving those problems.

On the flip side, if you hide or run away from problems, seeing them only as inconveniences, then you may not be in that entrepreneur mindset yet.

I also don't think that this is a static identity. You may be an entrepreneur for years and then decide to slow down and forget about problems. Or, you could spend your whole life in comfort, only to stumble upon a problem at 50 that you get passionate about and become an entrepreneur overnight.

Taking risks is also part of the definition of "entrepreneur". It can be the amount of money you invest into your solution. It can also be the risk of ditching 99 opportunities to focus on one, without knowing if it was the right choice. But, the real risk is the time you invest. Time you can't get back.

What you don't need to be an entrepreneur:

  • tons of money;
  • youth and endless free time;
  • zero responsibilities;
  • to abandon all your hobbies, rest or play time;
  • to go "monk mode" and hustle 12-16 hours a day;

You just need:

  1. A problem worth solving and that you care about;
  2. A few hours per month (you probably can steal those from your mobile screen time 🙂);

But, then you may ask: Why would I want to be an entrepreneur? Everybody may have a different reason, but for me: freedom and accomplishment.

PRO TIP: Money is not a good enough reason!