When you hear the word “entrepreneur”, what do you think? You, like other folks, might associate it with “business” and/or “risk-taking” and you would be correct in doing so. In our vocabulary, we define entrepreneurs as those who take risks to build a profitable business.
But if we look at the etymology, we discover something different. The word entrepreneur comes from the early 19th century French word entreprendre which means “to undertake”.
As a working class individual, I recognize the very real limitations of my socioeconomic status. Regardless, I choose to perceive entrepreneurship through its originally intended definition. I am an entrepreneur, not because I take risks to own a bustling business, but because I “undertake” projects every day to better myself and define success by my own terms.
And that’s important to the culture of Integrous Women. We believe we can all find deep, personal success no matter who or where we are when we begin our ventures. We want women to feel they can identify as entrepreneurs so long as they are eager and dedicated to try something new. The most challenging part is seeing through the myths in order to create your legacy.
Here are 5 myths of entrepreneurship, debunked by our team for you!
- PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS MANDATORY
“You do NOT need to have been an entrepreneur as a child! I personally would get discouraged hearing stories of so many successful entrepreneurs having started at the age of 5 selling newspapers. I would think ‘well I didn’t start until college, does that mean I’m too late?’ The answer is ‘NO!’ –KFC wasn’t founded until very late in the founders life. There are many examples of individuals finding success later in life.” -STEPHANIE
- YOU MUST BE AN EXTROVERT
“I used to think that entrepreneurship was only for extroverted people, and that I couldn’t handle the stress and uncertainty, but I’ve learned that everything is learnable. If you’re passionate about your mission, then you’ll do anything to overcome your fear. That’s what matters.” –LINH
- SELF-EMPLOYMENT = FREEDOM
“Owning your own business will not give you immediate freedom to live completely on your terms. Engineering your dreams requires dedication and sacrifice, self-employed or not.” –NATHALIE
- BRAINIACS ONLY
“You do not need to have a high I.Q. to be an entrepreneur. There are many different types of intelligences, and you just need to be creative with how you use your strengths.” –PASCALE
- ONLY BUSINESS PEOPLE ARE ENTREPRENEURS
“Entrepreneurship is a way of life! The skills of entrepreneurs are not exclusively held by those with a businesses or who are business-savvy. The belong to all of us, if we wish to pursue them.”-MARAH
With insight from our team, I truly hope you feel motivated to pursue the projects you’ve always wanted to do. Even just one small step in the direction you want to take is enough to begin!
#beintegrous,
Marah Stevenson