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Confessions of an Accidental Entrepreneur

Written by: Edward Abel

Article Overview: I'm going to tell you a story about an Accidental Entrepreneur. The accidental entrepreneur was a highly skilled intravenous nurse who thought he could do a better job administering Intravenous Therapy services than the organization he worked for. So he borrowed $5,000 and started his own business providing intravenous services to patients in their homes. Because he took the risk of starting a business, he believed he was an "entrepreneur."AE

Confessions of an Accidental Entrepreneur

I'm going to tell you a story about an Accidental Entrepreneur.

The accidental entrepreneur was a highly skilled intravenous nurse who thought he could do a better job administering Intravenous Therapy services than the organization he worked for.
So he borrowed $5,000 and started his own business providing intravenous services to patients in their homes. Because he took the risk of starting a business, he believed he was an "entrepreneur." And the fact that he was making money from the start, not only boosted his confidence, but it reinforced his belief that he truly was an entrepreneur.

Because he was so immersed in the day-to-day skill phase of serving his clients, he did not plan ahead for his growing business. And because of its great reputation, his business was getting bigger and bigger.

Now the accidental entrepreneur had to face securing a facility, hiring and training employees, applying for licenses, developing procedure manuals, dealing with regulations, and establishing rules of the workplace.

In addition, the accidental entrepreneur realized that in order to grow, he had to create billing, collection, accounting, and payroll departments. He had to provide education and training for his employees. He had to add human resources, marketing, sales, inventory control, dispatch services, and customer service components to keep his business moving forward.

But the accidental entrepreneur had no experience in any of those areas of business. And although he was doing well financially, he was suffering. Without support and no one to guide him, the accidental entrepreneur felt like a rat trapped in a maze.

You see, when the accidental entrepreneur started his business, he was not an entrepreneur-although he believed he was. He really was a "SKILLPRENEUR" - a person who has talent and expert ability in a specific art, trade, or technique that is acquired or developed through training and experience. In fact, most people are "Skillpreneurs."

So for the most part, "skillpreneurs" are not entrepreneurs. And those "skillpreneurs" who go off on their own and start a business because they believe they can "do it better," sadly learn that what they really know is how to work in their business-not on their business.

What about you? Are you an Entrepreneur or a "Skillpreneur"?

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Article Tags: business coach, business coaching, business consultant, business owner, business owners, business training, entrepreneur, ideas for small business, opening a start how to business plan



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