EMPLOYEE or
ENTREPRENEUR?
Generally, people who work for others and people who work for themselves think differently. Everyone’s situation is unique depending on the stage of life you are at.
Read the conversations below to see how different the responses are between a person who is employed and a person who is self-employed or own a business. We will explain why it is so in the section after.
EMPLOYEE
That’s not my job.
ENTREPRENEUR
I need to fix it.
EMPLOYEE
Q: Where are you now?
A: I’m with ABC (company name)
ENTREPRENEUR
Q: Where are you now?
A: I’m at XYZ (location name)
EMPLOYEE
Q: How’s work?
A: There’s too much work.
ENTREPRENEUR
Q: How’s business?
A: There’s room for more.
EMPLOYEE
I can make more money if I put in more time.
ENTREPRENEUR
I need to make more money so I can have more time.
The above statements, thoughts and conversations are some examples that show how extremely different an employee and an entrepreneur thinks.
Most employees look at professional and personal lives as separate areas. Most entrepreneurs know that personal well-being affects their business.
Let’s break down the conversations and see what’s behind the mindset of each situation.
EMPLOYEE
That’s not my job.
An employee is hired for a role with specific responsibilities. If an employee takes the initiative to deliver beyond his or her role, the move might be misconstrued as trying to steal someone else’s job instead of taking additional initiative.
ENTREPRENEUR
I need to fix it.
An entrepreneur is responsible for everything and knows that the whole is always bigger than the sum of all parts. One spanner in the cog means that everything will get stuck.
EMPLOYEE
Q: Where are you now?
A: I’m with ABC (company name)
Most employees associate their self-worth and reputation based on the job that they have. The job title and company that they work for indicates their position in life. Plus, they are expected to be working during certain hours.
ENTREPRENEUR
Q: Where are you now?
A: I’m at XYZ (location name)
Entrepreneurs associate their success with the ability to manage every aspect of their lives. They work throughout the day and schedule their activities according to the priorities they have set out. Plus, they don’t get into trouble for being or not being at a certain place at a certain time.
EMPLOYEE
Q: How’s work?
A: There’s too much work.
An employee’s time is governed by the company. Beyond your working hours, you are reluctant to work late because you cannot earn more. Employees get paid in exchange for the time they put in.
ENTREPRENEUR
Q: How’s business?
A: There’s room for more.
An entrepreneur owns his or her time. Every minute counts towards getting more work done, gaining more knowledge, contacts, business and profits.
EMPLOYEE
I can make more money if I put in more time.
Employees are paid monthly or weekly salaries. Therefore, it’s only natural to think that you get paid based on the time you put in. Working for longer hours equates to making more money.
ENTREPRENEUR
I need to make more money so I can have more time.
Typically, business owners start their own business because they’d like to have time to do other things. Therefore, they try to make as much money as possible within a limited time so that they can do other things.
Time and money is perceived differently by employees and entrepreneurs.
Employment provides a stable income every month which means time works in monthly blocks for employees. Employees try to work harder to make more money.
Entrepreneurs check their cash flow everyday and try to create opportunities every minute. Entrepreneurs try to make more money per minute to gain more time.
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. For some, employment would be better. It depends on your age, marital status, financial commitments and personal ambition. If you feel that you have issues at work, talk to your manager about it. Ask to be enrolled in a Personal Development training and coaching.
If you think you are ready to go on your own, check out the next feature, Starting a Business.
If you are happily employed but you’re feeling lost or burnt out, check out Personal Development – is it important?
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