First, some definitions. A wantrapreneur is a person who wants to be an entrepreneur, but has either not made the full commitment or is pursuing the endeavor in a haphazard “should I – should I not” manner. An entrepreneur is someone who has a business idea and converts it into an organization. How do you know if you are a a wantrapreneur or a potential entrepreneur? Here are a few ways to find out…
Timing
Wantrapreneurs wait for the perfect time and entrepreneurs think there is no time like now
Validation
Wantrapreneurs are convinced they have superb innate talent and have a fantastic idea the world is going to need. Entrepreneurs think the idea needs testing first with a proof of concept
Fear of Failure
Wantrapreneurs dont want to start until they are sure they won’t fail (of course this never happens) and entrepreneurs know they will not succeed until they have failed
Action
Wantrapreneurs like talking. Entrepreneurs like doing
Accountability and Responsibility
Wantrapreneurs don’t mind doing and may even enjoy prescribed tasks but they do not like taking end to end responsibility. Entrepreneurs look beyond tasks to getting results and take responsibility for these.
Going the Extra Mile
Wantrapreneurs frequently talk about “working smart” instead of “working hard”. They tell others that there should be more time off, more “thinking” time . Working smart, thinking time, work-life balance are all legitimate and valuable concepts but the wantrapreneur is obsessed with this as this provides a reason to stay within the comfort zone. You seldom see a wantrapreneur in the extra mile but they love talking about it. . Entrepreneurs know how to relax hard and have fun but don’t think about this during work.
Have you noticed how the above differences are also incredibly similar to the difference in an organization between those who just do enough to get by and can’t wait to leave the office (preferably a few minutes before 5 pm or on the dot) and those who don’t know when 5 pm came and went because they have a challenging agenda.
This is also called engagement and is it any wonder so many organizations now want entrepreneurial (or intrapreneurial) traits in their employees.
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