What is "Real Entrepreneuring"?

I give an introductory talk to my coaching clients that I titled: “You are either an Entrepreneur…or you are a vegetable”. This is my way of introducing my contention that everybody is an entrepreneur. What I want to do in this post is to explain the title for this blog…and, acordingly, my purpose in creating it.

I realize, however, that for you to accept anything I say here, now or in the future, I have to first convince you to agree with me when I say that EVERYBODY IS AN ENTREPRENEUR, whether they know it or not.

So…here’s what I want to do:
1. Give you MY definition of an “Entrepreneur”
2. Prove to you that everybody IS an entrepreneur
3. Discuss why we can’t avoid making decisions (i.e. why we’re not vegetables).
4. Explain what “real entrepreneuring” is all about so you will understand my purpose and my philosophy (i.e. “Life According to Bob the TourGuide”)…and why, therefore, I call this blog “Real Entrepreneuring”.

1. What is MY definition of an “Entrepreneur”?

A famous American politician (who will remain nameless because he is still around and I don’t need any trouble with him) was discussing the economic structure of France. He was quoted as saying that the French don’t even have a word for “entrepreneur”. How funny is THAT? “Entrepreneur” is clearly a word with a French root that literally means “one who undertakes”. The term expanded and evolved over time and use and has now come to refer to anyone who undertakes to operate an enterprise involving elements of independence, risk, and the opportunity for profit or reward. Let me repeat that….no, wait….why don’t you just read it again. This is my definition of an “entrepreneur”.

2. Everybody is an “Entrepreneur”.

What most commonly comes to mind when we say “enterprise” is a “business”. If this were the only definition of “enterprise”, it would greatly narrow our topic. But I choose to expand its meaning. What if the “enterprise” we are referring to is not a “business”. What if it refers to any “organization”. What if, in fact, the “organization” it refers to is YOUR LIFE…and “operating the enterprise” for our purposes means “Taking charge of your life”. You are an “entrepreneur” simply because your existence necessarily involves your operation of your life and involves elements of independence, risks and consequences, and opportunities for profit and reward. Thus…you and everybody else…are entrepreneurs.

(Enough said about this right now. We'll expand this concept as we proceed.)

3. Why we can’t avoid making decisions.

With the exceptions of bodily activities such as breathing and the working of internal organs, every other action of our waking moments is comprised of making decisions.

Let’s review a few of today’s decisions:
1. You decided to get out of bed.
2. You decided to get dressed.
3. You decided to read the paper.
4. You decided to go to work.

OR….YOU DECIDED NOT TO DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS…AND YOU WENT BACK TO SLEEP.

Some decisions are major, some are minor…but they all are choices….and they all have consequences:
1. we marry or we don’t
2. we have children or we don’t
3. we decide where to live, where to work, what work to do, whether to work for ourselves or for others
4. we decide what car to drive, or whether to drive at all.
5. we stand in the street and get hit by a truck, or we decide to jump out of the way

And…here is the REALLY scary part. What do you think is the opposite of “making a decision”? Did you think it was “NOT making a decision”? Think about that for a moment. Isn’t NOT making a decision actually making a decision? In other words, it’s a trick question. There IS no opposite of making a decision. Not making a decision IS A DECISION. That IS scary, isn’t it?

So…we now see that we are all entrepreneurs, the enterprise we have undertaken to operate is our life, and we all make decisions which have consequences. Are you with me so far?

4. What is “Real Entrepreneuring”?

We come now to the title of this post and the title of this blog and the heart of my philosophy….LIFE ACCORDING TO BOB THE TOURGUIDE.

“REAL ENTREPRENEURING” is the living of our life. It includes every element, without exception, of our individual, personal journey through life…every discovery, every accomplishment, every obstacle, every decision, every consequence. It includes how we respond and how we react to that over which we have control and that over which we have no control.

As a Life Coach (and TourGuide and MapMaker…concepts I will explain in later posts), I serve as a guide to my clients. I don’t have the answers. That is not my role. But, together, we explore options and together we find our answers. And that will be my purpose here. I will tell you stories, many autobiographical, that will illustrate obstacles encountered, decisions made, consequences resulting, actions taken…and lessons learned.

My goals are:
1. to introduce you to new thinking about taking charge of your life
2. to provide tools for your consideration and use
3. to be a starting point for you as you continue on your life path from the place you were when first we met.

I WANT YOU TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU OWE IT TO YOUR DREAMS!!

I hope you enjoy the ride,

Bob the TourGuide