Tweet

Entrepreneurs Don't Claim Entitlement

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: The purpose of a private enterprise is NOT to employ people and provide them with benefits. The purpose is to find and keep customers (by delighting them with your products and services) and to increase the value of the enterprise to its shareholders.

Entrepreneurs Don't Claim Entitlement

Only Victims Insist Others Care For Them I've recently heard some radio broadcasts of speeches by the president to audiences of unionized auto workers. These are doting followers of the president, assured of lucrative employment guaranteed by their unions, who helped elect the current U.S. government and who are now owners, along with the government, of their companies. Needless to say, the applause was loud and strong. These folks LOVE the president.

I'm reminded of certain movie scenes I've seen over the years in which the leader of the bank-robbers (or pirates, or terrorists) stands up and addresses his mob in celebration of the latest successful job, and with announcements of how the booty would be split. The collected bad guys are always throaty, appreciative, cheering... they're doting followers, too.

Here's what you don't do: think of a great idea that everyone needs, risk all you have to bring your Big Idea to the market, work long days and long nights to get your business off the ground, become wildly successful, bring value to your shareholders, delight millions of customers, and employ so many people that your shops become unionized.

Here's what you do: drop out of school (or go to the easiest and cheapest school you can find, using a government grant or taking out a student loan you won't have to repay), get a job at a big company, join the union, gripe about everything your company does, push for more and greater concessions from management, insist on more and greater benefits and entitlements, ignore (or even cheer) the reduction of profits and degradation of the quality of your company's products and services, move up to become union boss, strong-arm as many of your members as you can to vote for liberal "progressives," and wait for the big pay-off.

Just a reminder: this is not how it's supposed to be. The purpose of a private enterprise is NOT to employ people and provide them with benefits. The purpose is to find and keep customers (by delighting them with your products and services) and to increase the value of the enterprise to its shareholders. You don't go into business because you can then hire employees... employees are a resource (hence the term "human resources"), not unlike the building and equipment... a resource that helps you fulfill your business' real purpose: delighted customers and richer shareholders.

There are two kinds of people: Entrepreneurs, who are committed and obliged to caring for others, and Victims, who feel entitled to being cared for by others. There are many employees of the big car companies who are Entrepreneurs at heart, who probably hate what has happened to their companies and unions, and who probably aren't among those I hear hooting for the president on the radio. But this government is clearly playing to the Victims... they never miss an opportunity, through their media and entertainment mouthpieces, to drum up class warfare and to play the racism card.

Storm's coming. My advice is to get ready for it. Find a way to protect what wealth you have. Start a home business so you can have a revenue stream that doesn't depend on someone else (particularly the government). Eat your vegetables (grow them, if you can), take your vitamins, and stay healthy... unless things change, the time is not far off when you won't be able to find great health care in America at any price.

Above all, remember WHY you're doing what you're doing. Like a business (such as a car company), if you get away from your true purpose, you'll be lost.

Related Articles
  What is the best way to develop my sales skills?
  Profitable Online Business Ideas and the Recession Part 2
  Social Networking or Social Distraction
  Contribution
  How can you make more of your customers open your emails?
  Know your magic numbers
  Feelings of Entitlement
  Maximizing SR&ED - Does Your Accountant Have an Engineering Degree?
  Business Speaker is a Thief
  Can a Newbie Battle An Internet Marketing Guru?
  Are We Entitled?
  Take Care Of Your Business, XII
  Developers Changing The Old Business Models
  More crazy customers!
  Two Dirty Words…
  Hacking Facebook Password with the help of free hacker tools for everyone
  Get better results from email newsletters and promotional emails
  How do I find a passionate and purposeful mentor?
  Can you afford to make your email marketing more targeted? Can you afford not to?
  How to Handle Discrimination Claims

Article Tags: government takeover, health wealth and happiness, personal responsibility, successful entrepreneurs



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting - Great Post! Dont forget to put your blog in Anchor Text For SEO purposes for the keywords you want when getting backlinks (for example with article marketing)...Very important. You can conquer quite a few small Niches and get your site on the number 1 spot in Google!
Re: Due Diligence, Market Research.. Ahead of the curve. - Congrats! A few months ago I wrote extensively on market research. Check in the Inventors corner for the posts. Let me know if I can help further! Dont spend a dime on a protype or advertising until you do some research! Jude
Re: Who hates cold calling? - I saw this and had to chime in. I HATE COLD CALLS. lol its terrible and a wast of my time. Something i have done is gotten online and found all the networking event happening in my area for the next 2 months and i try and go to about 3 a week. Even just for an hour. Dont bring any business cards. Just meet new people ask them alot about what they do, not too much about what i do and follow up the next day or 2. Has worked well
CEOs and Email - Slaves? - I wonder if the emails they are responding to are filtered thru their assistants first 'cos they seem to spend a lot of their off hours responding to them. True they are successful but I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay that price. I'd be interested to know what's the in the typical day planner of Entrepreneurs on the Forum. Entrepreneurs are a different breed than Paid Employees- so it would be interesting to view the contrast.
Re: Businesswomen in the news - [quote="TheRainmaker":2susnvqs] Dont forget that the media is out for the media and scare tactics and bad news gets the coverage.... J[/quote:2susnvqs] This is true....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Download a template or see a lawyer?

The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.