We are all Entrepreneurs!

Monday Message from Jerry Houston, President and CEO of HPISolutions

I want to throw down a challenge this Monday.  You are an entrepreneur… I am an entrepreneur… we are all entrepreneurs.

Why would I say this?  What is an “entrepreneur” anyway?  Wikipedia describes it as “a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.”

So, ask yourself, do I organize and/or operate a business (even if I don’t own it).  Do I take financial risks for the business that I work for?  Do I impact profit or loss?  Do I take an ownership attitude for my area of responsibility for the company that I work for?  Am I passionate about the work that I do?

In my recent book “The Eccentric Entrepreneur,” I talk about some very basic facts that must be present for you to be a successful “entrepreneur.”

  1. Understand your WHY. Why are you in this business?  What is its purpose?  Do you love what you are doing?
  2. Do you have the courage of your convictions to say the right things, and do the right things?
  3. Do you understand the business of business? In other words, do you understand the basic components of the business you are in and how the work is executed through the people and processes of the business?
  4. Are you willing to take calculated risks in order to achieve your objectives for the business?
  5. Do you have a strong understanding of who your client or customer is, and what it is they want from your business?
  6. Do you reach out to others to partner with you in your efforts to maximize the impact of your role in the business?
  7. Do you have relationships inside and outside of your business that have mutual benefit, respect, and trust as the foundation?

In the end, we are (or should be) entrepreneurs and be executing on the principles I have outlined above.  Not to do so is relegating yourself to just doing a job in order to get paid.  Sounds pretty unfulfilling to me.

Have a Great Day!