What is an entrepreneur?
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
noun
- A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- One who takes the initiative to create a product or establish a business for profit; generally, whoever undertakes on his own account an enterprise in which others are employed and risks are taken.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- A person who organizes and operates a business venture and assumes much of the associated risk.
- A person who organizes a risky activity of any kind and acts substantially in the manner of a business entrepreneur.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it
The Characteristics of an Entrepreneur
You might well wonder whether entrepreneur simply means “a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money” or whether it carries an additional connotation of far-sightedness and innovation. The answer, perhaps unsatisfyingly, is that it can go in either direction.
Entrepreneur has been used in English to refer to a kind of businessman since at least the middle of the 18th century… During the 19th century, it was also used of a go-between or a person who undertakes any kind of activity (as opposed to just a business).
By the early 20th century entrepreneur appears to have taken on the connotation of go-getter when applied to an independent business owner, a quality that may also be found in the phrase entrepreneurial spirit, which began being used at about the same time.
You might think that this concept is strictly “secular” – that such a person has no Biblical counterpart. May I offer this passage as contrary to that idea!
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
Proverbs 31:10 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 29 “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.