The differences between an employee and an entrepreneur
A couple of months ago I attended a networking happy-hour in one of the co-working spaces available in New York City.
A co-working space — for whom doesn’t know what it is — it’s an office building where people, usually young tech entrepreneurs, rent a shared desk, an entire desk or an office for a cheap price.
I am sure most of you know them pretty well :-)
These spaces are very trending now. The reasons are simple:
- When you start your own business you don’t have a lot of money to invest for a private office
- You can meet like-mindend people
- The networking events organized are a good chance to nurture new business opportunities
Who are you?
During these events you can find different kind of people: the freelancer, the entrepreneur, employee and, sometimes, the investor.
The entrepreneur is usually the guy more active, trying to collect the most business cards as possible, taking 5 minutes a person and then switching to another attendee or group of people. Same thing for the freelancer, which is an entrepreneur though.
The investor is, often time, trying to understand in a few seconds if he’s going to waste his time and money in a silly idea. He generally stays a little detached.
And finally, the outsider employee. He’s generally working for mid-large company and he’s there to see the magical world of startups.
The outsider employee is usually like a fish out of the water. He’s fascinated by the startup ecosystem and he tries to investigate if someone else has already copied his brilliant idea. Or, he’s trying to understand if his idea is brilliant for real.
Sometimes he’s idea it’s not brillant at all.
He’s often shy, timid but yet enthusiastic about the new world he would like to jump in. Of course, it also depends on the role he/she has in a company. Usually Sales and Marketing guys are used to attend big events, and meet many different people.
BUT he’s scared. Scared of what?
He’s scared of the uncertainty, the huge risks and the benefits he/her might lose. Working 9AM-6PM might look boring, but it’s “safe” and guarantee (not always) a good work/life balance.
Paid vacations, insurance, bonuses and may be the free food or the brand new laptop (that’s just a working tool in reality :-)) are considered valuable benefits.
Among all the characters mentioned above, I talked with a girl. She was an employee for one of the largest tv network in the US, and she was there for curiosity, but also to investigate if that environment was the right for her.
She had an idea and she was trying to investigate if the market was ready for that. Of course, they don’t usually share a lot of information since they are afraid you will steal their ideas.
A classic :-)
Employee and Entrepreneur: two different worlds
After that conversation I came out with the idea that employees and entrepreneurs are really two separated worlds.
These are my thoughts after many discussions with employees and entrepreneurs:
- The employee works for money; the entrepreneur has the money work for him: This phrase is from a famous book I have read and looks pretty obvious. Since the employee usually work per hour, the entrepreneur hasn’t regular working hours. Most of them must be available 20 hours a day or more. There’s not security and investing time today can be considered the best investment, or passive income, of tomorrow.
- Employees have a limited “global vision”. Entrepreneur invest in a “global vision” and he think it’s one of the fundamental add value: This doesn’t mean employees are limited-minded. What I mean is that if we have our specific role in a company, we are used to think about just the tasks we have. This, psychologically, push us to limit our curiosity and knowledge toward new roles and competencies. Entrepreneur think that a new opportunity can be everywhere and knowledge about a “global view” is fundamental. Discover a new product, tool or technology today, can be the winning point in the future.
- Everyone has a passion: entrepreneur see it as a call, employee as a hobby: This is not necessary something good. Sometimes entrepreneurs are so involved and focused on their idea that they are not considering the real risks. We all have a passion, sometimes it’s hide, sometimes it’s just something we are used to reveal in our spare time.
- Entrepreneurs are used to face several risks, employees (generally) are not used to handle them in a personal way: When we work for a company and we take a critical business decision, usually we are conscious that, if something goes wrong, the company backs you. At most, if it’s something really bad, you will be fired :-) But you are not loosing your personal money or risking everything. Entrepreneur knows that a decision could be a personal risk, for his company and his employees.
- Employees goal is to get a higher salary, entrepreneurs goal is to spend their money in profitable businesses: If you should think about your next big purchase, what would it be? Is it for a personal leisure or a business purpose? If it’s the second, you are probably more likely to spend your money with an “investment mentality”.
- Employees have a quieter life, entrepreneur a messy one: Unless you are dealing with a very stressful job, you know that, once you are coming back home, work problems won’t follow you. Being an entrepreneur means that your job is often your life and they are sometimes clashing together very badly :-) Even the famous days-off are always days-on.
- Entrepreneurs see opportunities where employees see risks: Being on the other side of the coin, also means having a different point of view. If a market or business is sinking, this might be the end of several jobs, so a risk for employees involved. On the other hand, it also means new business opportunities are emerging. The entrepreneur tries to forecast these risks and turn them into opportunities.
SEE ALSO -> THE AGE OF TECHNOPRENEURS AND INFLUENCERS
So, what is the real difference? I think that there are people just made to be an entrepreneur, because of their personal skills, education and background.
There are others, whom prefer or are just made for a corporate life. There is not a best or a worst choice. Since these are two completely separated worlds,
It’s just a way to live.
What do you think? Are you feeling more employee or entrepreneur?
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