People start their own
business for a variety of reasons - to develop their ideas,
spread their creative wings, get more personal satisfaction,
earn more money, have more freedom and spend more time with
families. Whatever your reason for deciding to be a business
owner, you can choose to be a freelancer (which is what most
small business people are) or you can be an entrepreneur.
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What's the difference
between the two?
An entrepreneur works to
build a business bigger than him, attract venture capitalists,
and maybe even launch an IPO. Basically, the entrepreneur dreams
of transforming his small business into a conglomerate, one that
will eventually become a powerhouse in his industry.
Entrepreneurs pursue lives of extremity -- extreme ideas and
expectations, extreme workloads -- impelled by their dreams and
passions. His or her
dream is to make it big - really big! And for this dream, the
entrepreneur is willing to accept significant financial risks
and challenges.
A freelancer, on the other
hand, is looking for the freedom and profit that come from being
on your own. However, they do not want to operate a large
organization. Instead, they build smaller-size businesses in
which they are more comfortable. The freelancer values the
independence in running the business.
The idea of being his or her own boss is more important: this
type of a business owner would rather own a big part of a small
company than a small piece in a big company. Seeking investors
is not a priority of the freelancer as he or she is unwilling to
relinquish control of his company. The freelancer would rather
grow the business slowly, without the headaches that come from
building a significant venture.
You are a freelancer if you
are interested in a better lifestyle, control over your time,
and not too much risk. You call the shots and you have the
power, not some investors who may be interested only in the
returns of their money and not the welfare of your business. You
work for people who need you, and you'll view your business as a
series of engagements with clients. That doesn't mean you have
to work out of an attic or your garage. You can have your own
office, and employ two or five employees. If you run a small
manufacturing outfit creating hand-made pillows and bed sheets
but have no dreams of beating Martha Stewart, then you're a
freelancer. If you want to have a small public relations agency
with a few clients and some great publicity campaigns, you're
also a freelancer. Why? Because your product is you. You've
found yourself a great job, with more control than most
employees and a lot more hassles!
On the other hand, you are
on track to be an entrepreneur if you're on a mission and if you
are looking to build an organization. They want to be big and
grow quickly. A key characteristic of entrepreneurs is their
dream of becoming wealthy. They don't mind owning a smaller
chunk of business that he or she built, even compromising some
form of control, or whatever it takes to make the business grow
really big. Entrepreneurs are willing to make
decisions that will threaten their wealth and their reputations.
They understand that entrepreneurship is about risk.
Knowing which of these two
you want to be will make your choices a whole lot easier!
About the Author:
Isabel M Isidro is the Managing
Editor of Power Homebiz Guides. Visit the
PowerHomeBiz Small & Home Business
Blog and
Women Home Business