Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, colors and genders, and they run small businesses to huge businesses. Some have been in business for decades, and others may have just started. You might be able to look at someone and know that they label themselves as an entrepreneur, but what really makes someone an entrepreneur? 

Someone who takes risks

You may have started your own business to sell pancakes in your local area. You are not employed by anyone and you are doing things yourself to earn profit. You have the option to sell these pancakes to other stores to sell, out of a food truck, or maybe in your own restaurant. So, are you an entrepreneur?

The answer is: yes. When you decide to take the risk of putting your time, money, and energy into making an endeavor work, you are adopting the entrepreneur mindset. It’s all about going out of your comfort zone to make things possible. You might figure that it doesn’t seem that risky because you live around people who know you and love your pancakes and have been asking you to sell them for a long time. Just because you are starting out at low-risk doesn’t mean you won’t have the opportunity to expand and take on more risk, and it doesn’t mean you are immune to market trends and changes (such as a new breakfast restaurant opening on your corner).

Someone with innovative ideas

In the grand scheme of things, it can be relatively simple to create a business plan, gain some startup cash, hire a few folks, and have a business up and running. However, the one thing that sets a good business (and a great entrepreneur) apart from the rest is how innovative their ideas are. In the pancake example above, the business will only succeed if you are doing something that no one else has thought of, or if your pancakes are somehow special. An entrepreneur’s business won’t survive if they are just a carbon copy of something else, or if they are unable to adapt when competition comes around.

Entrepreneurship is all about dreaming up something new and converting those dreams to reality. When you attend Ottawa Entrepreneur Networking Events you will meet many people who have such dreams, and you can speak to them about how they are fighting to make those dreams true.

Someone who sees opportunity and harnesses it

An entrepreneur is one who can see what others overlook. They will find out what can be profitable, work to make it successful and make profit out of it. They may start a totally new venture or change an unsuccessful business with their vision to a successful one. They have faith in themselves and their hard work and can chase anything to realize what they think to be profitable. They know the importance of manpower and utilize it for reaping profits.

If you are an entrepreneur, or thinking about becoming one, don’t forget to get your tickets to the next eSAX Ottawa networking event! You’ll meet many other entrepreneurs, and get on your way to developing a quality business network.