From a freelancer to Richard Branson, the word ‘entrepreneur’ is thrown around a lot these days as a way to compartmentalize anyone who works for themselves or who has started a business (or 10). It’s used to describe a certain lifestyle or to glorify the act of starting something.
Our society is grossly overusing the word and, as a result, diluting its value. The word should be reserved only for special people who haven’t only started something but have also seen it through, sometimes many times over.
It’s not the kind of word that someone can assign to themselves either. It’s a word that’s bestowed upon you when society recognizes the contributions you’ve made.
Personally, I cringe whenever someone refers to me using that word. I have a long way to go in order to get this title and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without my entrepreneurial teammates, many of whom I consider late co-founders.
Late co-founders are the people who joined a company very early on, made their mark, stuck around, and adjusted as necessary. They are just as entrepreneurial as the founders themselves.
Now the word entrepreneurship is a different story. That’s a skill that everyone should develop because it makes the organizations we’re a part of better. In fact, any person entering an organization at any stage has the opportunity to create founding moments because, as Jack Dorsey says, “being a founder is not a job, it’s a role.”
Let’s stop focusing on being entrepreneurs and start focusing on encouraging everyone around us to be more entrepreneurial.
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