Is Entrepreneur just a prettier name for sales person?

Posted by admin on Dec 4, 2008 in Small Business |
Entrepreneur
freakonomics asked:


I know many entrepreneurs and they sell very well. I don’t know entrepreneurs who cannot sell. Is the noun entrepreneur created just to make it sound better than a sales person?
Thanks for quick replies.

Some mentioned entrepreneurs take their own risks. I think sales take risks too — their compensation is usually solely based on how well they sell. They are risking their time and reputation.

Another reason why I’m asking is that when financial institutions look for people to sell their products, they always advertise as:

Be your own boss, manage your own business, take control of your future, become an entrepreneur!

So, it seems entrepreneur = sales.

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20 Comments

Cathrine K
Dec 4, 2008 at 8:24 pm

well, sort of. but usually entrepreneurs come up with their own ideas. it just may take a lot of ideas to finally hit the big one.


 
practical thinking
Dec 5, 2008 at 2:30 am

Nah…I think it’s a nicer way to say I started my own business because management is full of morons.


 
Tom
Dec 6, 2008 at 11:21 am

I believe the definition is something like someone who takes personal risk for a business venture


 
BOB
Dec 6, 2008 at 12:36 pm

not at all………..

sales people are leeches and liars…

entrepreneurs are people with dreams………. who can also sell


 
davencusa
Dec 8, 2008 at 5:29 am

No — an entrepreneur has invested in his business.


 
C B
Dec 10, 2008 at 9:47 am

Not all entrepreneurs sell things. They also start up factories, invent things, etc.


 
Andrew C
Dec 10, 2008 at 11:37 am

It means someone who makes their own money buy creating opportunities to do so


 
milbrew45
Dec 12, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Not necessarily. Entrepreneur means a businessman who is a thinker and comes up with fantastic ideas to make it big. However, in almost all situations these ideas involve the sale of items that were either created by the entrepreneur or given a new twist to it.


 
Angelcape
Dec 13, 2008 at 5:45 pm

yes. It is a formal name for sales person.

The Origin Meaning of the Word Entrepreneur:

“The word entrepreneur comes from the 13th century French verb
entreprendre, meaning “to do something” or “to undertake.” By the 16th
century, the noun entrepreneur, had emerged to refer to someone who
undertakes a business venture. The first academic usage of the term
was by economist Richard Cantillon in 1730. For Cantillion, the
bearing of risk – engaging in business without an assurance of the
profits that will be derived – is the distinguishing feature of an
entrepreneur.

The term entrepreneur was further popularized by economist Jean
Baptiste Say, who in the early 1800s, used the term to refer to
individuals who create value in an economy by moving resources out of
areas of low productivity and into areas of higher productivity and
greater yield. In 1848, economist John Stuart Mill used the term in
his very popular book, Principles of Political Economy. To Mill, the
distinguishing feature of an entrepreneur was that they assume both
the risk and the management of a business.”


 
Simian
Dec 16, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Nothing to do with a sales person…

Same root than enterprise, the one who starts a business if you wish… The idea of someone starting something on his own…

Really noble actually…
They need to be able to sell your ideas, but not anywhere close to a mere sales person…


 
Dr. Gonzo
Dec 18, 2008 at 7:02 am

no, it’s a name for an individual who creates ideas in which to profit or make money

a business man who generates his own business


 
noee54
Dec 21, 2008 at 5:30 am

You should look that work up. An entrepreneur is a person that is in business for themselves risking it all. They don’t necessarilly have to be selling something, they could be providing a service like a hair salon or and inventor.


 
lordmisrule2004
Dec 24, 2008 at 1:34 pm

An entrepreneur is not a sales person. Yes, one of his jobs could be sales, but he is really a person who creates, manages and takes the risks of owning his own business.


 
football_grrl2
Dec 27, 2008 at 7:54 pm

Technically, no. But it means someone with their own business, so in a way you’re right. It all matters what angle you look at it, as with everything in life.


 
Angelique
Dec 29, 2008 at 11:18 pm

It’s a euphemism for a person who can’t get a job so (s)he takes a dopey pyramid sales job. Which means the person dammed well better be good or get good at sales, because otherwise (s)he will starve. And may starve anyway, because the company may fold and disappear tomorrow.


 
Sam J
Jan 2, 2009 at 9:50 am

No, there are entrpreneur’s who don’t specificly sell.


 
bronzediva
Jan 5, 2009 at 1:05 am

The answer is no. It is a French word which implies that the person is self employed.


 
deanna b
Jan 7, 2009 at 6:34 pm

No.Indeed it encompasses much more because you are in business for yourself with an investment into the business you create and run or organize…Entrepreneur often includes an invention or idea that is original and hopefully successful. Now if you are a successful entrepreneur you may want to hire sales people…..


 
bushmaster19772002
Jan 9, 2009 at 7:04 am

They are very different.

Merriam-Webster.com :one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise

The reason business seek a person with an entrepreneurial spirit is because this person will think out side the box in making sales and growing their business. These people will likely be in a commissioned sales role rather than one with straight salary.


 
Matthew
Jan 10, 2009 at 7:02 pm

An entrepreneur is a risk-taker and founder of a venture. They don’t have to sell, but it helps. They may just hire sales people, which is nice.


 

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