Image from shutterstock.com

Businesspeople are everywhere. Fewer and farther between are the entrepreneurs of the world. To the layperson, these terms might have the same meaning, but for those in the know and in the business world, there is a marked difference between the two. Being a businessperson or an entrepreneur does not happen overnight and does not happen merely because one sets up a website, buys a storefront, or starts selling their wares online.

A businessperson is simply someone who operates a business, selling products and services to customers. Their customers can be other businesses, they can be consumers, also known as end-users, or they can be other entities such as governments, the military, non-profit organizations, etc. Whether they operate a brick-and- mortar location, run an online business, or have offices all over the world, they work in an existing industry and seek to gain customers and a niche there within.

Entrepreneurs are cut from a different cloth. They might start off as business people, but eventually, they have the innate desire to do something different, something unique, and something where they call all the shots.

An entrepreneur is someone who goes beyond the tenets of traditional business and finds their own path to success. They might use some of the same procedures and processes as a normal businessperson, but they find that their desire is to break free from the common mold of owning a business, buying and selling, and turning a profit.

An entrepreneur owns and operates his own enterprise, which is a different term as well from business. Entrepreneurs envision large capabilities for growth and don’t expect their businesses to remain the same in 5, 10, or 20 years as they are now. Much like businesspeople, they are job creators, not job seekers, and as they evolve, they do so with intelligence and professionalism.

A business person is a hard worker; there’s no doubt about that. But when they are set up and putting in hours at the store, their primary focus is on growing the business sustainably. This is because they are established and thus, less likely to take giant risks.

The entrepreneur starts off alone and often continues that way for some time. It’s not that they don’t appreciate help; it’s more that they struggle to find others who can match their intensity and commitment. The entrepreneur believes that their payday will come down the line, but it’s usually not their driving force except that it could help pay bills and keep food on the table. That’s why they’re not too concerned about short-term paychecks and things like retirement funds and work-life benefits at the beginning of their venture.

Additionally, entrepreneurs remain much more hands-on with their product or service for a long time; they might delegate work like quality control and marketing to others, but they will always maintain close control over the actual product or service much like a parent watching over a child, even after they’ve grown up and gone off to college.

Entrepreneurs are not simply in selling products; they are in the business of creating solutions that make people happy and make their world a better place. They enjoy their rides to the fullest no matter how bumpy the ride is.

To drive home a point is, a business man and an entrepreneur are both sides of the same coin but with same business, different approach, motivations and decisions.

Are you a business man or an entrepreneur?