I really dislike the word ‘entrepreneur’. It’s a word I’ve never liked for various reasons, and a word I specifically try to avoid. A quick jaunt to Wikipedia and you’ll see that entrepreneurship can be defined as “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods.” I think a key word in there is ‘innovation’. Is it innovative to perform a service that many also perform? Are you an entrepreneur if you throw up some Kijiji ads that you can paint houses for cheap? I think ‘business owner’ is far more appropriate.
I’d also like to emphasize that this is in no way a dig at people who focus more on fulfilling a need in the market than changing the world. I have ridiculous amounts of respect for people who provide a great service or sell a great product. Owning a restaurant is amazing and having been part of a family restaurant since I was in diapers, I have ridiculous amounts of respect for their owners and the mass wealth some have accumulated. Do I think owning a restaurant makes you an entrepreneur? No. Do I think amassing a restaurant empire and expanding throughout your supply chain makes you an entrepreneur? Yes. I’d say being an entrepreneur is something all business owners strive for but until you cross that somewhat arbitrary checkpoint, you can’t really call yourself one.
You could also probably successfully argue me into admitting that business owners are indeed entrepreneurs because there is always a certain amount of innovation required to survive in the business world. There are a few high-profile, successful, and admirable entrepreneurs here in Halifax and Nova Scotia, but… they are few.
I readily admit that I am not an entrepreneur…quite yet. I’m fine with that and it satisfies me every day to know that I’m helping other business owners and entrepreneurs achieve their personal goals. Testimonials keep me going and are (duh!) a testament to Denote’s ability to make our clients more money and achieve goals. Not to self-promote, but if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur reading this, we’d love to get in touch and earn a testimonial from you too.
I’ve proudly called myself a business owner since day one, but some of the things Denote Communications have been doing, some of the clients we’ve worked with, and some of the services we offer, are leading me to consider using that dirty E-word. Denote Communications is still heavily centered around marketing, advertising, branding, and (most importantly) making our clients money. It’s that last, and most important, aspect that has me ironically questioning whether ‘Communications’ effectively conveys what we do for business. With the recent soft-launches of both our market research arm and our all-in-one business web solution, Denote is expanding into new and different realms containing a wider array of clients in need of wildly different things.
Rest assured, Denote is always there to satisfy.
We’d love the opportunity to prove it to you. I’d love your help on my journey from business owner to entrepreneur.