What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur
The Pursuit of Entrepreneurship
Written by James Garvin for Gaebler Ventures
There are several reasons and motivators why people pursue entrepreneurship. For many it is the freedom of expression that entrepreneurship offers or the potential riches that they may be rewarded with. However, there is one underlying motivator, the pursuit of building something lasting, that drives all entrepreneurs, whether for profit or not.
There are all types of entrepreneurs through out the world today.
The bulk of the entrepreneurs that garner today's media attention are those like Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, or of other founders of firms who have built a product that millions use and has generated hundreds of millions in venture capital. On the extreme opposite end, there are entrepreneurs who start social organizations to serve humanity with out the desire or need to create monetary wealth for themselves or those within the organization.
Whether you are Mark Zuckerberg or a social entrepreneur, the common motivator that connects all entrepreneurs is the drive to create a product, service, business, or organization that stands the test of time and becomes a lasting part of your personal legacy. Entrepreneurs are builders and they seek to build things that they can rightfully call their own that will stand the test of time.
Just as artists paint, authors write, and architects build, entrepreneurs create a lasting artifact exemplifying their creativity and efforts that can stand the test of time and secure a piece of their personal legacy as they reflect on their lifetime accomplishments. The other rewards coming from entrepreneurship are ancillary perks that help make the journey more fun; however, building a lasting and meaningful business or organization is the underlying motivator that inspires all entrepreneurs.
For most, there are very few opportunities to build something that you can rightfully call your own that was built with the unmatchable passion that many entrepreneurs hold when creating their own organizations from scratch. Corporate organizations in their entirety build great things, however it is those who step outside the comfort of a corporate organization to go build on their own that are able to create something they can rightfully call their own that becomes a part of their personal legacy.
Entrepreneurs seek to accomplish great things in their lives. They are easily bored by simply "doing" tasks and jobs and rather seek to accomplish a gratifying goal of creating their own organizations. There is a big difference in trying to set out to become the Vice President of a large Corporation as an accomplishment compared to trying to start and build your own company as an accomplishment. This key motivator is what sets entrepreneurs apart from their social counterparts who seek to climb a corporate ladder. Neither is right or wrong, or good or bad, it merely is a difference of personal choice and intrinsic values.
Knowing what motivates you helps you create a driven focus to accomplish. A driven focus is a key value to help you accomplish what motivates you. There are those who will take the required steps towards the path of entrepreneurship and succeed in their desire to fulfill a life accomplishment that will stand the test of time. Not all will succeed, but the journey in itself is a path worth taking that will provide you with a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.
James Garvin began his education studying biotechnology. In recent years he has turned his interest in technology to helping two internet startup companies. The first business was an online personal financial network and the second was an e-marketing platform created to help entrepreneurs demo their web sites. Currently a student at University of California Davis, James is spending his summer incubating two new online businesses and writing about his entrepreneur experiences.
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