Are Entrepreneurs Selfish by Nature?
Are Entrepreneurs Selfish by Nature?
Typically driven by a commitment to a common vision and bold goals, entrepreneurs reward results and have little tolerance for those who worship process and effort.
An entrepreneur, confronted with the task of facing any business in good times and bad, needs to think about:
- Where to Play,
- How to Deliver
- and How to Win.
Does this make the typical entrepreneur selfish for breaking the mold, refusing to conform and blazing their own path?
This they try to do in small start-ups or by initiating a new and different means of generating value within an organisation.
Not only do entrepreneurs create jobs for others, they create significant wealth for themselves.
Independence, adventure, fun and the opportunity to implement new ideas draw them to do what they do. In addition, entrepreneurs are drawn to change.
Entrepreneurs see the disruptions as opening doors to new competitive opportunities. Seeing opportunity where others see threat requires moving beyond common wisdom.
Successful entrepreneurial behaviours flow from making distinctions, sensing opportunities and pursuing results in market niches that have not yet been overrun by the herd.
- How do you interpret the word “entrepreneur” which is so often attached to a negative stigma?
- Is entrepreneurial behaviour fair?
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In answer to your question, I'd have to say no. I believe I fit into the category of being an entrepreneur, and in my position, I regularly deal with numerous other entrepreneurs and it seems to me that it comes down to a passion.
In my experience, entrepreneur's often work exorbitant hours, sometimes with little to no pay, just to see through their project. If there is no passion for it, it's difficult to consider even working in those sorts of conditions. The rewards may vary from little to astronomical, but you don't know for certain until you take that risk. If the rewards are huge it usually generates jobs and provides opportunities for many others.
The opportunities that entrepreneurs can generate for others is something that many people who refer to them in a negative light often don't realise. In Australia the vast majority of employers are small businesses, the owners of all of these businesses had to take the risk at some point (or someone before them did). Be it a traditional retail store, a restaurant, a service provider of some sort, they all had to start somewhere and all had to provide jobs. Not everyone is willing to take the sort of risk many entrepreneurs do, be it a lack of passion or just the inability to risk their perceived security I don't know, it's not something I've really thought about. If no one leapt out there though, who would provide the jobs?
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That's a great comment Matt and I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it comes down to passion. I mean, you can't stop any real entrepreneur from doing what the really want to do anyway. They're driven by passion and purpose and often work themselves into the ground to achieve goals.
You're absolutely right that if no one took the leap to start a business there would be a massive shortage of jobs available. This is also why not everyone can be an entrepreneur!
I also don't believe that entrepreneurs are selfish by nature but it was a question posed to me that I though I would iterate here and seek some feedback.
Thanks for stopping by Matt, really appreciate your thoughts!
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