I hate the word “Entrepreneur”.
No, not because it’s hard to spell.
It’s because it’s used so often and by so many people.
It’s not a unique or powerful word anymore.
When I think of the proliferation of this word, I think of Oprah’s TV show where she gives a car away to everyone in the audience.
If you don’t know what I am referring to, you should check out the youtube video here.
I mean, dang Oprah, you get it, girl!
You’re an entrepreneur!
You’re an entrepreneur!
You’re an entrepreneur!
EVERYONE’S AN ENTREPRENEUR!!!
It’s like we woke up one day and all sudden it was cool to be an entrepreneur, whatever that actually means today.
Why the Wantrepreneur?
I am going to say something crazy right now.
I think that being an entrepreneur is something that should never quite be attainable but should always be completely and utterly sought after.
When you say, “I am an entrepreneur”, it has a finality to it that bothers me and should bother other people that are starting businesses and creating products and services.
It should not be as easy to attain as just walking downstairs and selling a banana to a person on the sidewalk, because, technically speaking, that would make you an entrepreneur.
See my point?
There’s something cool about always being in pursuit of something great.
A wantrepreneur is a person who simply wants to be an entrepreneur and is spending a considerable portion of their career working to create and build.
This is something about myself that I identified pretty early in my life.
By the time I turned 18, I knew for a fact that I wanted to work for myself and grow my own businesses.
I WANTED to be an entrepreneur.
The wantrepreneur is someone who is constantly questioning, creating, building, and innovating.
It’s a word that describes someone on a journey.
Someone who hasn’t quite arrived yet but is on the road.
What if the word “Entrepreneur” could only be used in the past tense, like describing someone who has already moved on to the next life?
Yeah, that guy Ron is a crazy wantrepreneur!
Man… Ron was a great entrepreneur.
I know this all sounds crazy, but hear me out.
I am not necessarily saying that I have found the solution in the word “Wantrepreneur”, nor do I feel like I am anywhere close to finding an adequate replacement.
What I am saying is that using Entrepreneur as a noun just doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.
I have started multiple businesses.
I have given up on a few businesses.
I have half-assed more than a few.
I have invested a lot of my money into a couple of businesses.
I have invested a lot of time in most businesses.
And I am starting to see a lot of success in only one business.
I have done a lot of what most people would call “Entrepreneuring”, if you will, yet, you will literally never hear me utter the words “My name is Seth, and I am an entrepreneur.”
It will straight up never happen.
Never.
Not even if I am trying to impress a girl at a bar.
You might just have to take my word for it on that one because I am guessing that line has a fairly high success rate.
Also, have you ever noticed that when someone says they are an entrepreneur, it never sounds humble?
It always sounds proud.
No one has their head down and mutters, “Hi, I’m Bradley and I’m an entrepreneur.”
No, when you imagine someone saying that phrase, you image someone standing with their chin up and chest out yelling, “Hi, I’m Bradley and I’m an entrepreneur!”
Now there’s nothing wrong with being confident, so don’t get me wrong.
We all know that to strike out on your own takes a heck of a lot of gumption, confidence, and willingness to ignore what people think about you and your ideas.
But the word just sounds like they are better than you or something.
Like they laugh at the world of W-2’s who ironically make considerably more money on the average then most entrepreneurs and have better benefits and healthcare insurance.
Want to know the difference between an entrepreneur and an employee?
Time how long they spend in the bathroom on average.
I’m not gonna go into detail on this one.
You get the point.
The word “entrepreneur” is dead.
The community of people who are trying to solve problems on both small and big scales should consider volunteering more information on what they do next time they introduce themselves to someone they meet at a cocktail party.
Perhaps skip the “Hi, I’m an entrepreneur.” and go straight to “Hi, I own and operate a roofing company in Milwaukee.”
It just makes us sound a hell of a lot more human.
Wantrepreneur feels humble.
It feels like a work in process.
It feels like a journey, not an endpoint.
Friends, it’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
And that’s what building businesses is all about.
One brick at a time.