The 9 Faces of Entrepreneurship

Another Look at What It Is

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The very readable Tim Berry has a short but enjoyable post on what entrepreneurship is. Taking off from Peter Drucker's bon mot that it is neither art nor science, but merely a practice, Berry suggests that it can be many things apart from art or science, including:

• A way of life
• A dream
• A nightmare
• A false hope
• An escape

It has been several of these for him at one time or another. I suspect most entrepreneurs, except perhaps those that never get past the dream stage, have experienced more than one as well. I know I have.

Left off the list, however, is one I believe matters most: a mission. No entrepreneur is successful without having the zeal to solve some problem. Entrepreneurs are driven. They have an abundance of passion. It is as if they cannot do anything but be an entrepreneur.

And sure, it's a practice too. There is always more to learn, and one can always attain greater mastery of the craft. Without the passion to strive towards ever-greater goals, however, practice becomes repetitive routine, mere motion. Skills maintenance is not sustainable for entrepreneurship; only continuous personal growth will do. It is this unquenchable drive that is the clearest face of the true entrepreneur.