Entrepreneur vs. Small Business Owner—Why You Should Care
Entrepreneur vs. Small Business Owner—Why You Should Care
And until the week before that subway ride, my ex-wife and I had not spoken in 12 years.
When we first met I was 22 years old. And while we had a lot of fun together over the next nine years, as we grew older, we also grew less similar. Eventually it ended with an intense bang which took us both years to come to terms with.
Seeing her for dinner a few months ago for the first time in so long was really nice. All the anger and hurt was long gone, allowing us to really just be with each other.
After catching up, we spoke candidly about what really drove us apart.
We agreed we were just very different people and because we were so young when we first met, we were not clear with ourselves or each other on what was most important to us, both individually and as a couple.
And as we hugged each other goodbye and wished each other the best in our lives ahead, I could not help but think that if had we continued to stay married and tried to be the spouse each of us wanted the other to be, we would have been pretty unhappy.
The same is true with your relationship with your business. If you run your company (or career) from a place that is what you think you “should” or are “supposed to” do, not from what is right for you, it may be a very bumpy ride.
Knowing the key differences between being an entrepreneur and small business owner should help guide you down the right path:
Entrepreneurs tend to be
* innovators
* ambitious
* inspired by what they do
* self-motivated, and
* shift directions quickly and decisively
Small Business Owners (SBO’s) tend to be
* content with status quo
* looking to do well, but not aggressively so
* steady, reliable and predictable and
* needing motivation and inspiration
Do you see yourself falling into one more than the other? If so, you’re like most of us. And while most of us have characteristics and traits from both and in many ways they overlap each other (that is why many people use “entrepreneurs” and “SBOs” interchangeably) we tend to have dominant characteristics of one over the other.
The power of being able to distinguish being an entrepreneur or SBO, you’ll be able to better:
* keep your focus on what you should go after
* build your team of like-minded, synergistic people
* create a powerful game plan and stick to it
* build a format and structure to your business that supports you
* avoid major pitfalls and mistakes
And just as I learned the hard way with my first marriage, understanding the type of business person you are can help build a very powerful relationship you have with your company.
Action Steps for the Week:
Take five minutes and reflect on where you tend to fall: entrepreneur or small business owner. Meditate on it, be honest with yourself and ultimately “own” (accept) it.
Then look at how you’ve been running your company. If, for example, you have the dominate traits of an SBO, are you creating growth strategies, business plans and raising investment capital? If so, are you happy, or feeling stressed out and that something is wrong?
Or, for example, are you an entrepreneur feeling like you’ve been playing it “safe”, not really innovating powerful solutions to your company’s challenges or taking a new and important direction? If so, are you happy or feeling like you are playing “small”?
Get clear on how it feels to be going in the direction you have been going as an SBO or entrepreneur.
And if necessary adjust your sails to what feels right to you.
Entrepreneur vs Small Business Owner Why You Should Care - To learn more about this author, visit Stefan Doering's Website.
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One evening late last year I was a bit nervous as I got on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I was heading to dinner with a woman who I lived with and loved for nine years.
And until the week before that subway ride, my ex-wife and I had not spoken in 12 years.
When we first met I was 22 years old. And while we had a lot of fun together over the next nine years, as we grew older, we also grew less similar. Eventually it ended with an intense bang which took us both years to come to terms with.
Seeing her for dinner a few months ago for the first time in so long was really nice. All the anger and hurt was long gone, allowing us to really just be with each other.
After catching up, we spoke candidly about what really drove us apart.
We agreed we were just very different people and because we were so young when we first met, we were not clear with ourselves or each other on what was most important to us, both individually and as a couple.
And as we hugged each other goodbye and wished each other the best in our lives ahead, I could not help but think that if had we continued to stay married and tried to be the spouse each of us wanted the other to be, we would have been pretty unhappy.
The same is true with your relationship with your business. If you run your company (or career) from a place that is what you think you “should” or are “supposed to” do, not from what is right for you, it may be a very bumpy ride.
Knowing the key differences between being an entrepreneur and small business owner should help guide you down the right path:
Entrepreneurs tend to be
* innovators
* ambitious
* inspired by what they do
* self-motivated, and
* shift directions quickly and decisively
Small Business Owners (SBO’s) tend to be
* content with status quo
* looking to do well, but not aggressively so
* steady, reliable and predictable and
* needing motivation and inspiration
Do you see yourself falling into one more than the other? If so, you’re like most of us. And while most of us have characteristics and traits from both and in many ways they overlap each other (that is why many people use “entrepreneurs” and “SBOs” interchangeably) we tend to have dominant characteristics of one over the other.
The power of being able to distinguish being an entrepreneur or SBO, you’ll be able to better:
* keep your focus on what you should go after
* build your team of like-minded, synergistic people
* create a powerful game plan and stick to it
* build a format and structure to your business that supports you
* avoid major pitfalls and mistakes
And just as I learned the hard way with my first marriage, understanding the type of business person you are can help build a very powerful relationship you have with your company.
Action Steps for the Week:
Take five minutes and reflect on where you tend to fall: entrepreneur or small business owner. Meditate on it, be honest with yourself and ultimately “own” (accept) it.
Then look at how you’ve been running your company. If, for example, you have the dominate traits of an SBO, are you creating growth strategies, business plans and raising investment capital? If so, are you happy, or feeling stressed out and that something is wrong?
Or, for example, are you an entrepreneur feeling like you’ve been playing it “safe”, not really innovating powerful solutions to your company’s challenges or taking a new and important direction? If so, are you happy or feeling like you are playing “small”?
Get clear on how it feels to be going in the direction you have been going as an SBO or entrepreneur.
And if necessary adjust your sails to what feels right to you.
Entrepreneur vs Small Business Owner Why You Should Care - To learn more about this author, visit Stefan Doering's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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