https://ehandbook.com/are-you-actually-building-a-business-or-just-playing-entrepreneur-3d419784efbb
Aaron Dinn PhD
This article offers start up social entrepreneurs some valuable advice.
If you find the excerpts of interest, you may want to click on the link and read the article.
Context: The author described his discussion with a young entrepreneur at an entrepreneurship event.
Excerpts
‘Clearly he’d invested lots of time and energy into looking like a founder. But had he actually done any of the work of a founder? Had he made any sales? Built a product? Secured a customer? He didn’t mention any of that, and I didn’t get the sense it was because he was trying to keep things private. I got the sense it was because he hadn’t moved past the part of his journey where he was actually building a business.”
“But people who are simply playing entrepreneur never figure this out. Instead, they focus on the easy, surface-level stuff that doesn’t require much commitment. Anyone can build a website, order some business cards, create a snazzy pitch deck, and update a LinkedIn profile. These things make you look like you’re building a business, but they’re just props in an entrepreneurial play. None of them are the core elements that will actually grow a business.
In contrast, real entrepreneurship is about creating value. It’s about building something that solves a real problem.”
“What Playing Entrepreneur Looks Like…”
Here are a few signs you might be more focused on appearances than actual progress:
You Spend More Time Networking than Selling: Networking is valuable, but if you spend all your time “connecting” with people who might someday help you, you’re missing the point. Entrepreneurs should be focused on selling — selling their products, selling their visions, selling their values. You should be thinking about customers, not hypothetical future connections.
You Talk About Your Vision More than Your Product: Having a big vision is great, but if all you do is talk about your grand ideas without actually working to make them a reality, you’re not moving forward. Real entrepreneurs don’t just dream; they execute. If your big ideas don’t come with concrete steps to make them happen, then you’re just talking in circles.
You’re Obsessed with Branding but Not the Customer’s Pain Point: Entrepreneurs often get caught up in creating a polished image. You spend hours choosing fonts, designing logos, and refining your color palette. But if you haven’t even talked to potential customers or spent time truly trying to understand their pain points, you’re not really building a business. You’re just playing dress-up.
You’re in a Pitch Competition Every Other Week: Pitch competitions can be valuable for raising money and gaining exposure, but they can also become a crutch. If you’re constantly pitching but never building or selling, you might be addicted to the adrenaline of pitching rather than the actual process of growing your business.
You’ve Been “Getting Ready to Launch” for Months (or Years): Waiting for the perfect moment to launch usually means you’re afraid of what will happen when you do. If you’ve been working on your product forever but never actually launch, you’re avoiding the realities of the market. A real business can’t exist in your head forever.
TIP: Review Module 2 of the Practitioner Guide for suggestions on starting up your social enterprise.
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