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beasty
“Entrepreneur” – it’s a buzz word. This is something that’s been eating at me for a while. Everyone wants to believe they’re an entrepreneur—but I think a lot of people don’t really understand what it means.
I was listening recently to a Jay Abraham and Tony Robbins recording and they made a phenomenal point. One that I’d been on the cusp of, I’d been looking for an answer to—but I hadn’t quite made the jump.
A lady on this recording was talking about her business and Tony asked her,
“Would you ever sell it? I mean, if someone offered you money right now?”
Her answer was a fast and resounding,
“No!”
“Then you’re not an entrepreneur,” Tony said. “You’re an artist.”
This is exactly the distinction I was looking for.
Are you an Entrepreneur – Or an Artist?
If your Work is building, selling and buying businesses, you’re an entrepreneur.
If your Work is the subject of your business—a passion for helping a particular group of people or around a particular product or subject, you’re an artist.
Still not sure?
Ask yourself this:
If someone offered you a reasonable amount of money for your business, would you sell it?
If the answer is a resounding “yes”—if you’d happily flip what you’ve got and take the money to go into the next thing—then chances are, you’re an entrepreneur.
If the answer is “no”—if you’d struggle to let go of the thing you’ve built, if it’s your passion, if you love your community and your employees—then chances are, you are NOT an entrepreneur.
I know for some people, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
“Entrepreneurs” are this generations rock stars (as even rock and movie stars become entrepreneurs). You WANT that title. But the odds are, it’s not REALLY you.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND!
There is no value judgment here.
One is not better than the other. Both have their upsides—and their downsides.
The question is—who are you REALLY? Because when you understand and embrace that, you’ll find yourself in state of flow a lot more often. Resistance of who you are is the quickest way to misery.
Entrepreneur Vs Artist: A Profile
Entrepreneurs are good quitters. They know when to walk away.
Artists suck at letting go. They hold on to things long past the point of them making sense, because they care so much.
Entrepreneurs primary motivation is The Win.
Artists primary motivation is The Work.
Entrepreneurs normally have several ventures running at any given time and don’t care which one takes off.
Artists may have more than one thing going on, but all of those things will typically be focused on the same outcome.
Entrepreneurs are good leaders. They find great staff and delegate.
Artists tend to get by on passion, they find it difficult to let go of the reigns.
Entrepreneurs end game is to sell.
Artists typically haven’t thought about their end game—because they don’t consider that the game has an end.
Entrepreneurs look for funding.
Artists are horrified by the idea of giving even a small percentage of their business to someone else.
Entrepreneurs can tell you exactly what business they’d go into next.
Artists can’t imagine being in any business but the one they’re in.
Entrepreneurs will be involved in many businesses throughout their lives, often in completely unrelated industries.
Artists may be involved in different businesses—but always in the same space with the same end. Often, if given the choice, they’ll stay in the one company forever.
I’ve segregated this list of famous business owners into artists and entrepreneurs based on what I think—but I’m interested to hear your opinion! Do you agree that Steve Jobs was an artist? Is Zuckerburg an entrepreneur? Are there people missing from the list? Where would you place them?
Comment below!
Famous Artists
I was listening recently to a Jay Abraham and Tony Robbins recording and they made a phenomenal point. One that I’d been on the cusp of, I’d been looking for an answer to—but I hadn’t quite made the jump.
A lady on this recording was talking about her business and Tony asked her,
“Would you ever sell it? I mean, if someone offered you money right now?”
Her answer was a fast and resounding,
“No!”
“Then you’re not an entrepreneur,” Tony said. “You’re an artist.”
This is exactly the distinction I was looking for.
Are you an Entrepreneur – Or an Artist?
If your Work is building, selling and buying businesses, you’re an entrepreneur.
If your Work is the subject of your business—a passion for helping a particular group of people or around a particular product or subject, you’re an artist.
Still not sure?
Ask yourself this:
If someone offered you a reasonable amount of money for your business, would you sell it?
If the answer is a resounding “yes”—if you’d happily flip what you’ve got and take the money to go into the next thing—then chances are, you’re an entrepreneur.
If the answer is “no”—if you’d struggle to let go of the thing you’ve built, if it’s your passion, if you love your community and your employees—then chances are, you are NOT an entrepreneur.
I know for some people, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
“Entrepreneurs” are this generations rock stars (as even rock and movie stars become entrepreneurs). You WANT that title. But the odds are, it’s not REALLY you.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND!
There is no value judgment here.
One is not better than the other. Both have their upsides—and their downsides.
The question is—who are you REALLY? Because when you understand and embrace that, you’ll find yourself in state of flow a lot more often. Resistance of who you are is the quickest way to misery.
Entrepreneur Vs Artist: A Profile
Entrepreneurs are good quitters. They know when to walk away.
Artists suck at letting go. They hold on to things long past the point of them making sense, because they care so much.
Entrepreneurs primary motivation is The Win.
Artists primary motivation is The Work.
Entrepreneurs normally have several ventures running at any given time and don’t care which one takes off.
Artists may have more than one thing going on, but all of those things will typically be focused on the same outcome.
Entrepreneurs are good leaders. They find great staff and delegate.
Artists tend to get by on passion, they find it difficult to let go of the reigns.
Entrepreneurs end game is to sell.
Artists typically haven’t thought about their end game—because they don’t consider that the game has an end.
Entrepreneurs look for funding.
Artists are horrified by the idea of giving even a small percentage of their business to someone else.
Entrepreneurs can tell you exactly what business they’d go into next.
Artists can’t imagine being in any business but the one they’re in.
Entrepreneurs will be involved in many businesses throughout their lives, often in completely unrelated industries.
Artists may be involved in different businesses—but always in the same space with the same end. Often, if given the choice, they’ll stay in the one company forever.
I’ve segregated this list of famous business owners into artists and entrepreneurs based on what I think—but I’m interested to hear your opinion! Do you agree that Steve Jobs was an artist? Is Zuckerburg an entrepreneur? Are there people missing from the list? Where would you place them?
Comment below!
Famous Artists
- Steve Jobs
- Warren Buffet
- Walt Disney
- Bill Gates
- Jeff Bezos
- Richard Branson
- Donald Trump
- Mark Zuckerburg
- Ray Kroc
