What’s Your ‘Preneur?
America is land of the entrepreneur. And as our 237th anniversary of being a country sneaks up on us, I thought I’d pay a little comedic homage to the entrepreneurial way of life. We ‘preneurs wear many different tactical and emotional hats on any given day. Sometimes we couldn’t imagine ourselves doing anything but what we are doing in that exact moment, and sometimes…well, sometimes we’re ready to throw it all to hell and start prettying up our resumes.
As I continue working on a re-brand of my site (more on that soon), I had some fun thinking up various personas of the Entrepreneurial Psyche. Which one are you right now? Or better yet, how many of these are you right now? There’s no limit to themadness joy!
Have a great holiday week (for those in the States). I hope you’re going to be spending some time kicking back, having fun and being an Entre-Liqueur for a few days.
What’s Your ‘Preneur?
The Detour-preneur – You think you know why you’re doing what you’re doing but you’re just not sure anymore. You tell everyone you’re an entrepreneur but you feel more like entre-manure.
The Obscure-preneur – Nobody knows you and it’s starting to piss you off. You want to be in the business of making money but right now you’re in the business of (making a name for yourself). Every foray into uncertainty slowly cuts away at the paper thin wherewithal that you have guarding the big red button labeled, “Time To Freak The Hell Out”.
The Sabo-preneur – You have something good but you have no idea how to seal the deal. Frankly, you think you’re your own worst enemy. If the look on your face could be translated it would say, “I’m not good enough to be doing what I’m doing.” You’re a connoisseur of the self-saboteur.
The Entre-Du-Jour – You wanted press. You got press. They are impressed. Now you’re stressed. You need to compress and help on what’s next. Buzz and growth are fantastic but you need some guidance on how to manage the spotlight shining directly on your face so you don’t go blind or trip while everyone’s looking.
The Entre-Bon-Jour – Brand spanking new to the entrepreneurial game. You have a service or a product but you want to make sure you get your ducks in a row before you go jumping in the pool (and not ON the ducks, obviously). Everything seems a bit intimidating and you’re not sure what is most important.
The Solo-preneur – You’re purely a one-person shop, from the web design, to the services, to the invoicing. You’re not trying to hire employees right now. You just want enough income so you can live in peace. You could use a shower, a shave, a drink and a conversation. And the truth is, though you’ll never admit it to your mother, you’re lonely.
The Dicta-preneur – You’re a solo-preneur on crack. You don’t need nothin’ from no-one. You’re the kind of person who watches Scarface to unwind. A lie detector trusts more people than you. You are the sole commander of your ship as you plan to build your empire but you’re afraid you might be losing touch with reality, when you’re not trying to bend it.
The Entre-Not-So-Sure – You actually are intimidated by the word Entrepreneur. Anything French throws you for a loop. Every time you say it, your palms start to sweat and you think someone is going to call you out for not being one because of Rule 4-C of the Entrepreneur Handbook. Relax. There is no handbook, although I bet a hopeful entrepreneur is thinking about making one and selling it for a profit
The Entre-Grand-Tour – You’re part of a team of co-founders. You’d like to do your job better. In fact, you think that you all should have some sort of job title and some overarching agenda instead of getting on status calls and talking aimlessly for 3 hours about what you should be doing and then hanging up and being more lost than before the call.
The Side-trepreneur – Whether you know it or not, your theme song is “Everyday I’m Hustlin”. You have a full time job and the slinging you do to create your own buck or your own project is all from the hip and all from a sidearm delivery. Your hustle is the 5-9 hustle.
The Intra-preneur – The call is coming from inside the house! You work for a company, a company that isn’t yours. And one that has insurances, payroll tax and all that stuff. You kind of like being an employee but you’d like to inject some new forms of thinking into the deluge that is the day-to-day, and you’d like to become as indispensable as you think you are.
The Not-so-preneur – You’re bone-tired of the status quo, of the same old same old, of the same shit different day innuendos you dole out to conceal your frustrations with the funk that’s seeping into the should-be reality of the life you once dreamt up. You don’t want to start a business but you need to create something that brings you joy, that gives you purpose and that dishes out doses of dignity with more frequency.
Which ones are you? I’d love to know so that I can share the results with everyone. Just fill out this 10-second survey here. Whatever combination you are, I tip my proverbial hat to you!
