Define entrepreneurship

The employee vs. entrepreneur distinction that wasn’t

I’m writing to share a comment I made today to Inc. Magazine’s thought-provoking article What’s an entrepreneur? The best definition ever. The author invites an interesting and in-depth discussion about our motivation for choosing and deciding career paths. He draws a best-case controversial distinction that entrepreneurs have control of limited resources whereas company employees have limited control of resources.

My experience owning a web services company and being part of an entrepreneurial community after 10+ years of learning & growing as an employee of 3 Fortune 500® firms, provides a different context:

As entrepreneurs or company employees, at one point or another, we all find ourselves having (a) control of limited resources; (b) limited control over resources; (c) limited control of limited resources; or (d) sufficient control over a good amount of resources.

Resources, control, and even our personality types are distractions that company employees and entrepreneurs alike must and can handle. Company employees and entrepreneurs alike can and do survive with and without taking risks. Company employees and entrepreneurs alike can and do seize opportunities fearlessly, admirably, and beautifully.

Being an entrepreneur or joining a corporate family is not defined by resources or control, it’s simply a choice.