What is an entrepreneur?
When the word “entrepreneurship” comes to mind, many people envision young programmers surrounded by exposed brick, feverishly pursuing the successes of their startup that with names that end in either a “fy” or “ly”. The pantheon of entrepreneurs includes the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos. With these idols taking center stage as the model for all aspiring entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship has been hijacked by technology and by the dream to be on the cover of Forbes.
Yet in reality, entrepreneurship is a mindset — it is the ability to identify absences and to fill the void with meaningful solutions. Entrepreneurs are those who are driven with a purpose and laser-focus to see their vision become a reality. Most importantly, everyone can be an entrepreneur. In fact, many of us have had numerous entrepreneurial moments in our lives and we have come into contact with entrepreneurs who are not programmers, business majors, or technologists.
A great example of an everyday entrepreneur is the teacher. In every class, a teacher must creatively and adaptively break down information to a large number of people. A teacher must be focused, creative, and have the innate foresight to achieve his or her goals. Each one of us can name an impactful teacher in our lives, one who not only conveyed information but truly excited us to grow out of your comfort zones and master the concepts. That teacher, simply put, is an entrepreneur.
There many more examples of entrepreneurs, ranging from President Obama to Steven Spielberg. What unites all entrepreneurs is a set of characteristics and abilities that enable them to embrace failure, inspire others, and to always question the status quo. An entrepreneur is a student, peering into new fields and frontiers for opportunities. An entrepreneur is resourceful, especially when it comes to crafting a team of highly driven and motivated people.
Entrepreneurship is not about the ideas, but the execution of ideas. In almost all cases, the initial idea, be it for a startup or book, is never the finished product. Ideas need to be changed, mangled, and reassembled in order to create something meaningful.
All of these characteristics are not exclusive to startups or technology, for doctors, actors, musicians, parents, nonprofit workers and many more are able to embrace their inner entrepreneur. Perhaps a reason why entrepreneurship has been so abundant in Silicon Valley and in technology is that these communities have done an adept job at encouraging and empowering entrepreneurs to forge creative solutions to challenging problems. Other industries, institutions, and communities should learn from such entrepreneurial hotspots in order to unlock the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is a grindstone, for the pursuit of creation sharpens one’s focus. It is a framework for tackling big and exciting problems. No matter your interests, major, or job, we all can be an entrepreneur. Make a commitment to yourself to engage in meaningful pursuits that motivate you to do you best work. By doing so, you will be more focused, driven, and ready to tackle problems that others would deem impossible — and you might even end up on the cover of Forbes one day.
-Jonli
