“Entrepreneur” is a French word meaning “one who undertakes.” In other words, a person who obligates oneself to a certain task.

• An entrepreneur is a leader, not a follower, one who initiates, directs and motivates. She takes personal control and responsibility for actions and outcomes, both good and bad.
• An entrepreneur effectively manages her gains and learns from her losses. She is a calculated risk-taker, willing to sacrifice a little in order to produce the greatest good for the largest number of people.
• The entrepreneur operates out of a sense of duty with an unwritten understanding- a promise to deliver the best to those she serves.
• Although a solo enterprise, the entrepreneur is deeply engaged with others, knowing that value can only be provided via a two way street consisting of giving and taking. The entrepreneur depends on others and others depend upon her.
• The entrepreneur is an effective communicator and skilled at building and maintaining meaningful relationships.
• An entrepreneur knows that she cannot rely on luck alone. She is patient, prepared and flexible, ready to recognize and act upon opportunities as they arise.
• Entrepreneurship is a get-your-hands-dirty grassroots effort. It takes a lot of work. It becomes a way of life, requiring the right balance of skill and character.

One might think of the opposite of an entrepreneur as an employee. An employee is controlled by others, and an entrepreneur answers only to himself. This is a classic over-simplification. Whether it be a boss, a client or a business associate- we all answer to someone.

You can excel at being a great leader without being the leader. You can be both an employee and entrepreneur. An employee can be very adept at applying entrepreneurial principles at his place of employment. Maybe this employee produces valuable results for his company. That’s basically what an entrepreneur is- an innovative provider of value.

The opposite of a provider of value (an entrepreneur) would be the receiver of value (a consumer). Not that there’s anything wrong with being a consumer. We’re all consumers. You can’t even be a producer or provider (an entrepreneur) without being a consumer of something.

What do you think? Put your thoughts out there!