Being an entrepreneur is a source of pride. It also evidences an individual with a huge amount of discipline and focus to be able to build a business a lot of times from just an idea. It is the ambition of an entrepreneur that built the most profitable and successful companies. The only issue is that the word entrepreneurship can often vary from person to person.
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We asked some entrepreneurs and business owners how they define entrepreneurship and what it means to them:
1) Create a Positive Experience
“Being an entrepreneur gives me the ability to be my own boss and work to build a team that can successfully operate 26 Golden Corral restaurants. If someone has the proper drive, ability and desire to own and operate their business, they can become a tremendous success. One rewarding aspect of the job is when a former co-worker goes on and becomes a franchisee on their own. I also have the opportunity to provide an income for someone who may not have much formal training or experience in the field. In my case, I am in the restaurant industry, which is in the people business. We are able to create a positive experience for people who come hungry and leave happy.”
Thanks to Billy Sewell, Golden Corral!
2) No Hiding
For as long as I could remember all I have wanted to do is make toys and bring a smile to people's faces. To me, entrepreneurship is that moment when everything clicks for you. All of the things you have done in the past leading up to this moment meet the bright future and vision you have. Being able to work for myself and develop a brand from scratch that is having a positive impact on the Jewish community has been amazing. Entrepreneurship also means no hiding. You are exposed all the time. Ever mistake you make, you own 100%. Every decision is yours and so are the repercussions. Advice comes from everywhere, but as you charter new waters, you must decide what advice is helpful and what is “old thinking.” In the end, this is an adventure I would not trade for anything.
Thanks to Neal Hoffman, Mensch on a Bench!
3) Amazing or Fulfilling
Working long hours, five times as hard as anyone around you who has a job and sacrificing so much financial stability in order to maximize your passion, drive, creativity, enthusiasm… and one day bank account! The road to get there can only being defined by the word interesting, but once you actually do achieve success as opposed to the 25+ false alarms en route, its nothing short of amazing or fulfilling.
Thanks to Kelly Fallis, Remote Stylist!
4) Freedom
Entrepreneurship has always meant freedom to me. Starting your own business comes with a lot of responsibility, stress, and struggles but I have always been inspired by the freedom it gave me. Being an entrepreneur I am able to build the career that I want. I am free to work at home and watch my children grow, or on vacation with my feet in the sand.
Thanks to Megan Ross, The Artcademy!
5) 24/7
Entrepreneurs all share a specific gene in common. Our risk tolerance is high, our stress levels are high, and our passion is palpable. Fear is always present but never limiting. For me, being an entrepreneur definite me. I eat, sleep and breathe my businesses and I have to remind myself that it's important to sometimes shut it off. I wear many hats as an entrepreneur and sometimes all at once. You have to believe in something that doesn't exist yet, and for every “yes”, you hear a thousand “no's”, but you believe in your business anyway. You have to see “it”, even though others may not be able to yet, and you have to believe your idea into real life. Being an entrepreneur is more than just a job. It is 24/7, keeps you up at night and drives you through the day. In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you must believe in yourself and your abilities and know your weaknesses. You can't do it all, but entrepreneurs tend to try.
Thanks to Elana Byrnes, Kings of Cole!
6) Being in the Arena
My grandad was a huge fan of Teddy Roosevelt. He idolized the man. When I was a kid, he made me memorize one of his quotes (maybe you've heard it) that goes like this: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” To me, that's what entrepreneurship means – actually being in the arena. It's putting yourself out there knowing that failure is far more common than success, but still trying anyway. It's less talking and more doing, and positioning yourself to change the status quo. Entrepreneurship is devoting yourself to a worthy cause, eschewing the fear of failure to create something that is not only beneficial to yourself, but to others as well.
Thanks to Patrick Moss, EquityNet, LLC!
7) My Approach to Life
Entrepreneurship means believing that you are as smart as anyone else out there and using that confidence to create something new to contribute to society, supporting yourself, your family and your employees in the process. Entrepreneur is my identity and includes everything that I do. It’s my approach to life.
Thanks to Carl Mazzanti, eMazzanti Technologies!
8) Putting Action Behind a Dream
Entrepreneurship is more than building a business from the ground up. It is putting action behind a dream. It is diving head first not knowing exactly how many risks or how long the journey will take to figure out exactly how to turn “nothing” into something great that people will respond to. It is the american dream filled with trial and error. Most importantly, it is building on a foundation and leaving a legacy for the future generations to come.
Thanks to Gizelle Carlos, GCGCLOTHING!
9) Creative Problem Solving
Entrepreneurship is creative problem solving. Entrepreneurs see the world a bit differently- they are always wondering if there is a better, more efficient way to perform a task. They crave the ‘reverse commute'. I love being an entrepreneur because it allows me, an independent, passionate, risk taker to work with people to create lasting change.
Thanks to Wesley Braden IV, Tru-Colour Bandages!
10) It's Personal
Entrepreneurship is not just business, it's personal. The wins feel twice as good and the losses feel 10 times as bad because your business is part of you. The odds are stacked against you and statistically speaking, you probably won't succeed — but if you do succeed, however big or small the win may be, it's incredibly rewarding. It's like climbing a mountain against all odds and being a better person because of it. You have to be OK with personal failure, to put yourself out there. Luck is rarely involved, but it is worth failing in order to succeed.When you do get it right, you find out that it's not just about you. It's about the people you bring together and the things they accomplish with you. That feeling of shared accomplishment never gets old.
Thanks to Chuck Longanecker, Digital Telepathy!
11) Passion
Being an entrepreneur is hard work, and it may take many years before you can support yourself financially. You should not become a business owner for the money, and you certainly should not do it for a raise. Become an entrepreneur because you are passionate enough about something that you would do it for free. It’s this type of passion that will get you through difficult times and make sure you continue on the path towards success.
Thanks to William Shuhaibar, TheBathOutlet.com!
12) Exploration
Entrepreneurship to me means exploration, and therefore being an entrepreneur makes you an explorer. Both entrepreneurship and exploring are about seeking something new, that no one on earth has done before. It's something ingrained in you. You don't just accept the risk and discomfort but actually seek it out and thrive on it. Being an entrepreneur or an explorer isn't about the goal – of course everyone would love to make a billion dollar company or find a new continent – it's about the journey. The truth is, most entrepreneurs will never make a billion dollar company, and in fact will be lucky to make one that breaks even, just like most explorers will never discover a new continent. When you're an entrepreneur you discover a new way of doing things and a new business, and on the way there you make a lot of mistakes and fall into pitfalls. But if if you persevere you'll eventually find your way around those pitfalls and other people will follow your trail there. Then, just like an explorer, once you've found that new business, a true entrepreneur will go right back outside and start on a new path of discovery.
Thanks to Anthony Vinci, Findyr!
13) Creating
For myself, entrepreneurship really boils down to one thing, the ability to create. As an entrepreneur, you're able to create products and solutions to help solve problems in an industry. You're also able to create the workplace you want to spend time in, the company culture you want to have, etc. This ability to create, and create in so many ways, is what entrepreneurship means to me.
Thanks to Jordan Scheltgen, Cave Social!
14) Exciting
Being an entrepreneur is exciting to say the least. Everyday we are hit with a million ideas and suggestions on how to grow, market, sell, improve and innovate our business. I have found that the most important thing an entrepreneur needs to have is FOCUS. Without FOCUS on your most important tasks that will MOVE the company forward you will fall behind and become tangled in the web of which ad campaign and which pr company to hire. You need to be the driving force and FOCUS on what you do best! If your a salesman, SELL. If your a developer, DEVELOP and if your a marking person, MARKET. The rest will fall into place.
Thanks to Ian Sells, StrongVolt.com!
15) Constant Improvement
Entrepreneurship means constant improvement to me. There are so many lessons learned during the entrepreneurial journey that no class can teach you. If you continue to try and improve each day, your business should grow and become stronger. There is no better reward than satisfying your clients or customers when it is your own business.
Thanks to Jason Parks, The Media Captain!
16) Challenge to Opportunity
For me, entrepreneurship is about turning a challenge into an opportunity. As a military spouse who has moved frequently, becoming an entrepreneur meant embracing the challenge of relocating and building it into an opportunity for a non-traditional career. Being an entrepreneur is more than just having a vision – you need the courage to believe in yourself and others plus the drive to work to transform that vision into a real business.
Thanks to Elizabeth Jamison, Military Spouse JD Network!
17) Freedom to Execute Passion
For me, it’s the freedom to execute your passion. I really want to help people even if it’s a small amount of people. Since doing Calolo, we already helped our team members learn more about startup process. When Calolo is more successful, we will be able to help million of high school students with their college readiness process.
Thanks to Kien Pham, Calolo!
18) Radically Game-Changing Departure
All Entrepreneurs are business owners but few business owners are Entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur indicates a radical game-changing departure from anything that's been done before. You might open a dry cleaning business but as all-consuming as the business may be, you're still a business owner not an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur takes a big risk by creating something new – say a refrigerator that in the winter uses cold air from outdoors instead of the compressor. That's a risky venture that could possibly shake up the dominant paradigm and is the realm of the entrepreneur.
Thanks to Steve Silberberg, Fitpacking Weight-Loss Backpacking Adventures!
19) You Don't Know Everything
Whether you had the monopoly on neighborhood lemonade stands or you blossomed into your entrepreneurial spirit animal later in life, a kick-ass entrepreneur in today’s digital landscape admits they don't know everything. That's why you surround yourself with the people who will push you, inspire you, and know more than you know. Broadening your skill set by taking a class or attending an industry event will help make you great.
Thanks to Anna Crowe Bates, Noodle!
20) Solve Problems
Entrepreneurship is the opportunity to better organize people and resources to solve problems for others. That’s incredibly powerful, because it means that our opportunity as entrepreneurs is to fundamentally re-think the challenges people face. You have to start with “why?” and work from there – if you don’t have empathy for your customers and their problem, then you might come up with a good solution, but you’ll never have a lasting impact. Product features and marketing campaigns can be copied, and pricing can always be undercut, but having a clear answer to “why?” is what creates long-term market defensibility.
Thanks to Joe Davy, Avalara TrustFile!
21) Creating a Vision & Watching it Come to Life
Entrepreneurship is about creating a vision and watching that vision come to life. Of course, it doesn't happen automatically, but through persistence and hard work. It's very satisfying because when your vision becomes clear, you attract like-minded people who want to go in the same direction. Working as a team, all things become possible.
Thanks to Brian Rouff, Imagine Communications!
22) Clarity
At first it's the sickening feeling of not knowing the future. That person doesn't know where, or if, income will entering their account. Looking into the rest of your family's eyes knowing that they count on you and support you. After years of work and development you have the Aha moment. You are able to take a step back and admire the freedom you have. Being able to watch your kids grow up, creating memories without being bound to your job, and know that the risk you took those years ago was worth it. It was all worth it. In the end entrepreneurship means to me is clarity. There is more to life than working.
Thanks to Justin Stofferahn, Frontier Communications!
23) Something from Nothing
For me, entrepreneurship means creating something from nothing. It's taking an idea or a dream and turning it into reality. This can take many different shapes and forms. When most of us hear “entrepreneurship”, we immediately think of a startup or building a company. However, I think entrepreneurship can appear in many shapes and forms. It can be the accountant who daydreams about pirates and decides to quit her job to become a novelist; it can be two young filmmakers who can't find a venue to screen their indy film and decide to create a film festival that would celebrate low-budget filmmaking; and it can be the corporate guy who won't accept the status-quo and builds a company that would disrupt an industry. All of these entrepreneurs had a dream, they followed it and they created something from nothing. That's entrepreneurship.
Thanks to Zeev Sharon, Hotelied!
24) Creative Visions Coming to Life
Entrepreneurship means: seeing my creative visions come to life. I've always been a creative person with lots of ideas, so having my own graphic design business allows me to take those ideas off the sketchbook page and bring them into real life.
Thanks to Lidia Varesco Racoma, Lidia Varesco Design!
25) Taking Your Passion, Identifying the Core & Pursuing It
Entrepreneurship is taking your passion for your product or service and and identifying the core need for like minded individuals, and believing in the need enough to pursue it.
Thanks to Tom Feary, Logogarden
26) Mindset & Lifestyle
It is a mindset and lifestyle. Entrepreneurship is the ability for a person to hone in on their passion and solve a bigger issue. For example, I saw a mismatch and flaw in the education system's supply and demand. Both Schools and Students were not meeting their full potential. Schools were not meeting their quota in accepting the number of students they should have and students aren't always fully aware of all the educational opportunities available to them. My startup stemmed from this sole problem, but it has grown to solve something much larger It's truly amazing how being Entrepreneur means being able to put in to much work AND learning just as much.
Thanks to Katie Fang, SchooLinks!
27) Freedom & Making Money
Entrepreneurship means the freedom to do what I love and make money doing it. My business gives me the means to help others achieve their dreams by connecting them with their most valuable customers – what could be better than that?
Thanks to Alex Chennault, Société Co.!
28) Integration
To me entrepreneurship is all about integration. In my 20 years of starting and growing businesses I’ve applied all of the strategies, tactics and mindsets that are prescribed for entrepreneurs: I have persevered through difficult times, I have learned what it means produce and deliver a quality product. I’ve honed the customer experience and nurtured an amazing culture. I’ve top graded and built to sell and even taken organizations from good to great. And what I’ve learned is that no one of those things makes an entrepreneur. In fact, no 3 things make an entrepreneur. It is ALL of those things. To be a great entrepreneur is about focus and energy and vision and guiding and educating and inspiring – not to mention working – all of the time. Entrepreneurship is all about integration and the balance that comes from being able to see and manage all of the moving parts. At once. Every day.
Thanks to David Moncur, Moncur!
29) A Mindset
In my opinion, entrepreneurship is a mindset. It can be spriritual, not in the religious sense, but as a heightened state of mind, more aware of the many aspects of business ownership, whether related or not to the task at hand. Entrepreneurship is also forward-thinking, an attitude of achievement and accomplishment, always weighing the status-quo against the possibilities. It is not exclusive to business ownership by any means, the entrepreneurial mindset can exist, and even thrive, among employees within an organization, leading to better morale, productivity, creativity and, ideally, increased revenues.
Thanks to Wilson Black, Franchise Consulting Services!
30) Many Things
I was an entrepreneur before I became a banker. In January of 1990, I started an advertising/PR agency and never looked back for almost 22 years, until I joined a community bank as senior vice president/Chief Marketing Officer. My definition of entrepreneurship and what it means to me? 1) An entrepreneur is gutsy. Entrepreneurship is not for the timid-minded. 2) Entrepreneurship means reading all the books on business, sales, accounting, marketing and advertising but in the end, going with your instincts. 3) Entrepreneurship is a maturation process. Most of the time we start a business and mature into a businessperson. 4) Entrepreneurship embraces teamwork and reliance on others to get the job done. 5) An entrepreneur grows by lessons learned through mistakes, and there will be plenty. 6) An entrepreneur makes continuous adjustments to the business model, reacting to changes in the marketplace and economy. 7) Entrepreneurs take risks and live with the consequences – good or bad. 8) Entrepreneurship is freedom to choose your own path. Looking back, I would easily take the same route I took to build my successful agency. No regrets. It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Thanks to R. Bruce Gemmill, John Marshall Bank!
31) Follow Through with a Vision
To me, it means following through with a vision, and making sure that the original vision never changes. It's also about being persistent, despite others not believing in you, and finding ways to make a business work, even if it is a niche type of business.
Thanks to Georgette Blau, On Location Tours!
32) Full-Circle of Responsibility
Entrepreneurship: A full-circle of responsibility coming from, having, and following through with: an idea; drive to develop that idea; taking that good idea and developing it to be a great idea; promoting that great idea to become financially successful — generating revenue to call your business a profitable business (not a bobbie); having the fortitude to weather the storms of ups and downs as the business develops; the focus to continue down the path of success, and taking along all who have supported, encouraged, and stood by you during this incredible adventure; and the most important part of an amazingly, successful entrepreneur, is remembering to always pay back and pay forward.
Thanks to Dona [Rudderow] Sturn, The JNP Project TM!
33) Opportunity
I spent the first five years of my career as a consultant for Deloitte and Accenture. While I learned a ton of valuable lessons and got to work with talented, smart and awesome people, everything I did was based on a standard process. In that world, you follow a process because that's what has worked in the past. There's very little room to improvise and do things differently. I didn't resent them for this, in fact, it was the opposite. I respected the hell out of them. They had the guts and courage to step out and build their own dream – *they earned the right to do things their way*. This thought process led me to open my own digital marketing agency. To me, entrepreneurship is an opportunity. It's a chance to build something for yourself, create your own lane and do things the way you see fit.
Thanks to Ryan Stewart, WebRIS!
34) Flexibility & Tenacity
For me, entrepreneurship is about flexibility and tenacity. You have to be willing to adjust to last-minute changes and accept challenges as they come, but also not be discouraged by how hard it can be. Entrepreneurs can find themselves in a lot of tumultuous, high-pressure situations, but I think one of the keys to success is rolling with the punches, understanding that you can't control the weather, and push forward when others might give up.
Thanks to Diana Lamon, Peaches' Smokehouse & Southern Kitchen!
35) Live, Learn & Do More
Entrepreneurship is a cognizant decision to live more, learn more, and do more. It’s the art of combining passion with action to create something from nothing. It’s a vow of honesty; being honest with oneself and to those supporting you. When I created LatchPal, I committed to making a difference by helping one breastfeeding mother at a time. I’ve never looked back and I couldn’t be happier!
Thanks to Melissa LaHann, LatchPal by Happy Fig!
36) Marriage
I started my business in March 2015 in Natchez, MS which is a small town of about 50,000 as well serving the Miss-Lou Community. Entrepreneurship is define by you the entrepreneur, how hard are you willing to work to achieve your goals? How much are you willing to sacrifice financially to maintain open for business status? How much are you willing to promote and sell your business? To answer these questions briefly I'm wiling to work as hard as I need to and in order to achieve my business goals i have to work harder than the 9 to 5 employee. I am willing to sacrifice a few shopping trips for clothes and shop on a budget. I'm willing to manicure my own nails and style my own hair to save money. A closed mouth does not get feed and no one will know you exist if you don't tell them. So at every stop and every chance I'm promoting my business and I always have cards and flyers on hand ready to pass out. Entrepreneurship is kinda like a marriage you don't know what you have preparing for until you have made the commitment. So work hard, harder than most and watch the fruits of you labor pay off.
Thanks to Shauna Whiting, Clothesland Children Consignment & Gifts!
37) Push Boundaries & Progress Markets
Entrepreneurship is the freedom, creativity and agility to be able to push boundaries and progress markets. To me it's about guts and giving things a go. Entrepreneurship can be risky, but without risk there is no reward. Entrepreneurship can change and evolve the way that businesses, services and products are perceived and not only pave the way for positive change, but also revolutionize the experiences of consumers and the workforce alike.
Thanks to Kristina Trood, Results First!
38) Spread Your Creative Wings
“To me entrepreneurship means the freedom to create something out of nothing that solves a problem and makes a significant change in our environment and economy for the better. It's about being being able to spread your creative wings infinitely without being suppressed. In addition, entrepreneurship is about not only having and chasing a vision, but actually having the guts to actionably make that vision into a reality in the face of any obstacles, challenges, or failures along the way!”
Thanks to Nellie Akalp, CorpNet.com!
39) Lifestyle
To many people the word entrepreneurship is just a word, entrepreneurship to me goes beyond just being a word, it is a lifestyle. Many people believe entrepreneurs are people that start companies, but thats not always the case; entrepreneurs are the people who start companies, grow companies, and adapt companies, they live and breath change and risk. Entrepreneurs are the visionaries, the thought leaders, the innovators who strive to disrupt the market with their ideas. Entrepreneurship isn’t just a word its a lifestyle, it’s the passion behind a venture, the thought process and the strategy, the disruption and a way of thinking. Entrepreneurs don’t participate in entrepreneurship, they live and breath it.
Thanks to Brianna Stiklickas, Meet Eugene, Inc.!
40) Looking Forward & Being Energized
When working for someone else, often times people think that being one’s own boss means complete freedom. Freedom from the pressure of someone judging your work; freedom from worrying about job security; freedom to come and go as you please. The reality of being an entrepreneur is quite different. Does someone judge our work? Our company is judged daily by our clients, employees, vendors, lenders, investors and business partners. Do we worry about job security? Every time we look at our bank statement and plan work for the next few months. Can we come and go as we please? Yes. As long as there is no work to do. But of course, there is always more work to be done if we want to remain in business. What then does it mean to be an entrepreneur? It means looking forward to and being energized by the next big challenge. It means solving problems on a daily basis, and thinking of new solutions to old problems. It means charting our own course; being in charge of our own fate. It means being exposed to all aspects of business – reinforcing our knowledge of things we already know and expanding our talents to include things we never imagined learning and doing. Most importantly: It means doing something we are passionate about on a daily basis (homebuilding in our case) and sharing that passion with others. Money comes and goes, but doing what you love for a living enriches one’s life beyond measure.
Thanks to Marcus Toconita & Nino Cutrufello, Callahan Ward Companies!
41) 4 Words
With the coming of the 4th of July holiday, I think about 4 words that describe this great American holiday and the sprit of entrepreneurship and it’s meaning to me: 1) American: The American dream was and will continue to be built on the study and hardworking backs of business owners. We are images of our forefathers. 2) United: Entrepreneurs unite people for a common cause. Nothing is more powerful than the grassroots movements fueled by the power of people united together. 3) Proud: Entrepreneurs have guts, stick-to-it-ness, creativity and belief in our mission and ourselves. We proudly announce that we are business owners. 4) Freedom: Most importantly, being an entrepreneur means freedom to do it my way. Freedom to make the most out of each day.
Thanks to Lisa Baker-King, LBK Kreatives!
42) An Urge
Entrepreneurship is the identification of any need and its satisfaction, often in a manner that involves a business. It is the ability to define or predict a problem or a need, invest in its solution or in its fulfillment, build upon it, and perfect it by cutting out the weaknesses. It is to repeat this process over and over again. For me, entrepreneurship is an urge. The urge to take a piece of the puzzle and instead of finding the other pieces or how they fit, to create your own original pieces and to connect them in your own manner and imagination.
Thanks to Anthony Katz, iNexxus Digital Marketing and Branding!
43) Build Something Bigger
To me entrepreneurship is the act of creating and trying to build something bigger than oneself. Traditionally, this takes the form of building a company that will grow, provide jobs for other people, and provide a good or service that is a net positive to society. I don't view it as limited to for-profit companies; I think people who start non-profits are entrepreneurs, artists and musicians can be entrepreneurs. Anyone who chooses to forgo hitching a ride on the creation of someone else and decides to create their own thing instead is an entrepreneur.
Thanks to Collin J. Slattery, Taikun Inc.!
44) Super-Person Accomplishing my Dreams
To me, entrepreneurship allows the super-person in me to accomplish my dreams and find the “yes” in a sea of “no”s and “I told you so”s. When you have your own business, it’s totally up to you, no excuses or limits! I don’t let no stop me – there is always a yes, or an alternative, hidden in each challenge. I started my first business before I even finished high school – Liquid Love, out of sheer will. I saw an adorable lipgloss ring and knew it would be popular and be so fun. So I found a supplier (much, much harder back in the days before the internet put the world at your fingertips!), filled and packaged them myself and took them to a hip local boutique. People couldn’t get enough – and I was hooked! I built it up, then successfully sold the brand. Since then, I've started two successful businesses and am working on my third, Scott-Vincent Borba, Inc. I love getting to the yes – and seeing the joy and delight on my customers faces as they use my products.
Thanks to Scott-Vincent Borba!
45) Taking an Idea & Developing It into Something Sustainable
I would define “entrepreneurship” as taking an idea you're passionate about, and developing that idea into something sustainable (e.g. a business) that can provide for you, your family, and any material things you might want. Entrepreneurship is an incredibly powerful concept because it is inherently limitless. Anyone can do virtually anything they want! It means a lot to me, and to millions, because it's a part of who we are. That's why people use the phrase “entrepreneurial spirit.” It's a character trait. In a nutshell, entrepreneurship is the willingness to accept extreme risk for the potential payoff of finding great success through doing what one loves. It's the American dream!
Thanks to Kenneth Burke, Text Request!
46) Best Journey
Entrepreneurship is the best journey of my life, one filled with twists, turns, bumps, fantastic people, and awe inspiring moments. There is no map nor a path insight, but a vision that extends far past the horizon. Jump in, enjoy the ride, and reminisce about the journey.
Thanks to Jacqueline, No Mo Nausea Band!
47) Freedom to Create
Entrepreneurship represents the freedom to create something without the confinement of those who might not have open minds or big-picture thinking. Entrepreneurship allows me to be nimble and quick to create efficient processes that are foundational for this company that will be my legacy.
Thanks to Rebecca Berneck, Officeheads, Inc.!
48) Doing Something You Believe In & Brings Value
As far as what entrepreneurship means to me, it's simply about doing something you believe in and something that brings value to people's lives. It can't just be about making money. We all want to make money, of course. That's the only way to stay in business. But, unless you're in the financial sector, you can't build a brand around the idea of making money. You can't build a loyal customer base if you only care about money. You have to focus on why you're doing what you're doing, and if those reasons are good and sound, the how will take a much stronger and specific shape. If people can simply find a purpose-and I realize it's often not so simple-then the direction becomes clear; all of the time, effort, and hard work isn't a chore but a fulfillment of a promise to yourself, your family, and all the people you're trying to help.
Thanks to Michael Hartofilis, Go Green Light Energy!
49) Creativepreneurship
Entrepreneurship (or creativepreneurship as I call it) means freedom to innovate, create and produce using the sum of your God-given gifts, heightened talents, super skills, and insights to create revolutionary solutions for your ideal audience. And to think, you operating in this big, powerful way gives you the freedom to engineer your own economy.
Thanks to Jade Simmons!
50) Doing it Better
Entrepreneurship is when you have seen something that can be done better and have decided to do something about it. Well done to the people who are willing to risk their own comfort to improve the world for everyone. It's not an easy road. The challenges are real, super highs and super lows are a part of the game. I don't think you can trust your emotions as a guiding light on this journey. I prefer to look at incremental progress and achievement. Setting up tracking systems for tangible and intangible parts of your business which you want to improve, is the best way to see where you are and where you're going. Who you become on this journey of challenges is where the true value lies. what you learn and who you become are things which you can replicate into other ideas and different parts of your life. The only time anyone fails is when they give up. Not all businesses succeed and the most important thing to remember is that if it something doesn't work out the first time, dust yourself off and give it another go.
Thanks to David Sutton, Rare Pink!
51) Share Your Passion
When I introduced the concept of Perfect Bar 10 years ago, organic and whole food products were just beginning to gain traction in the mainstream. At the time, my sole purpose was not to build a booming business or make tons of money off a product I knew had legs. Rather, my goal was, and still is, to instill in my community what my dad, a renowned nutrition and fitness-industry pioneer, has instilled in my siblings and me all our lives: the principle that whole food nutrition is essential for a healthy body and mind. Knowing I had a product that would combat the stigma of “healthy” meaning “bland,” I sought out the opportunity to share my passion with my community, giving them a product crafted with whole food, organic ingredients that tasted great. We've built a business out of this passion for health and nutrition and continue to make it the basis for everything we do at Perfect Bar.
Thanks to Bill Keith, Perfect Bar!
52) Creating Your Own Path
Entrepreneurship is creating your own path where the whole the whole world is your field. There are many ways to success and I see entrepreneurship as the way people who are not fazed by uncertainty and has the grit to weather constant challenges. It doesn't give you complete freedom (unless you have a billion dollar business), but rather the flexibility to find your version of success on your own terms.
Thanks to Regnard Raquedan, CubbySpot!
53) Creative & Independent
Entrepreneurship means that I can be creative and independent. That I can make a positive difference in the lives of others. I can have children, and enjoy their life events without guilt. I can live life knowing I gave it my all, and I lived, real, hard, and intense. Every day.
Thanks to Aviva Weiss, Fun and Function!
54) Building Your Wings
Entrepreneurship is jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down. Carpe diem!
Thanks to Linda Parry, Product Launchers!