What differentiates an entrepreneur from an employee? This is one question I got from a high school student and I decided to give a simple response “Problem”. She wondered for a while and then I explained to her what I meant and in this post I will be explaining what differentiates an entrepreneur from an employee.
Asides from having access to funds, being an employer and being a risk taker, one thing that differentiate an entrepreneur from an employee is problem solving. As children, we were thought never to get into trouble or cause any problem for people around us or for ourselves. We were not allowed to get into problems and find a solution to the problems because they want us to be safe and this trait grows up with a lot of adults as they do not want to get into any problem that will require solving but is there a way not to get into problem in our race for survival in life?
This is where entrepreneurs are different, as entrepreneurs intentionally find problems and find a way to solve them. The word in this context is intentionally. Intentionally entrepreneurs will get a problem and find solution to it but this is where a lot of employees get it wrong, as much as they run from problem, they still end up in their place of employment solving problems but this time around, it is not intentional, they are now solving the problem for their time and the money they intend to make. The entrepreneur shares the problem into bits and gives each of the employees a part of the problem to solve and at this time, they do not have a choice but to solve the problem for the employee.
It is no crime being an employee but you need to understand that problem solving is part of the what makes the world improve and for every entrepreneur, there is a problem solver.