The Employee vs. the Entrepreneur

Most everyone has a job, a career, a place of work. How do you view yourself in that position? A cog, an individual member, a team player? It varies for everyone. There are multiple approaches we can take to our mindset about work and our career. We can either be an employee, with a boss who approves time off, tells us when to be to work, when to leave work, what we can and cannot do while we are going through our day, when to take lunch, all of our responsibilities and managing our every move. This is the typical position, most would agree.

For those of us embracing an entrepreneurial role, this is a much different scenario. We determine our schedule, the days we can and cannot take off, what time we want to take lunch or come into the office, what goes on during our days, what or who we need to be responsible for, and the general day to day activities of our business. This isn't to say that entrepreneurs do not work hard because they don't have to. If anything, entrepreneurs have to work harder to make their business successful because there isn't a beginning and end time to the day. Entrepreneurs do not punch a time clock or work a regular 9 to 5. The day doesn't end at 5pm, the day ends when all of the work and tasks that have needed to be accomplished throughout the day have been taken care of, even if that takes until 8pm.

The difference between an employee mindset and an entrepreneurial mindset is just that. For the employee, they will leave at 5pm whether or not their work is completed and most of the day is separated by periods of productivity with some individuals working harder than others to complete all or few of their daily tasks. The entrepreneur will work hard all day realizing that the end result is future success the more time and effort is put in to get to that future success.

Similarities between the two are also recognized. The entrepreneur can choose to work like an employee, checking out at 5pm if work isn't complete with some entrepreneurs working harder than others to achieve goals.

The simple difference is structure. The employee strives on structure given by a day to day routine without much variation. One employee typically works harder while another counts on them to pick up the slack. The entrepreneur strives on completing all tasks realizing that if they don't do it, no one else will. Successful entrepreneurs count only on themselves to complete tasks while getting mentoring from other entrepreneurs to round out their skills, struggles, or experiences to continue learning and growing.

The most glaring difference is in pay. The employee is told what they are worth by the company that employs them. Based on skills, job requirements, experience, background and multiple other factors each employee is paid the same regardless of how much work they do during their general working hours. An entrepreneur writes their own check. If an entrepreneur chooses to work more or work harder either short term or long term, this will pay off. They will move up faster and make more money because they have the ability to choose just how hard they want to work.

Whether you are of an employee mindset or an entrepreneurial mindset, or somewhere in between, both have qualities that can be learned from and embraced. They also have qualities to be expanded upon and adapted to create a more effective and efficient business. Neither is better than the other and as with anything, there has to be two sides to a coin. Consider which mindset you are and change how you view your current career, job, or workplace to be what you've dreamed.

Just a Quick Q & A!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a few of our newest ETT's in the office, Moriah and Cam. It was a great change of pace for me because I typically see them when they pass my desk on their way into meetings and one on ones. We sat down, and I picked their brains about seemingly mundane topics, just because I could. I really got to know them as the questions turned into spin off topic after spin off topic.

Moriah Rae Hernandez

Moriah grew up in a few different places in Lower Michigan. She lived in Lansing until she was in 6th grade and then moved to Jenison, where she's lived aside from a brief move to Kentucky. When she was a child, Moriah always wanted to be a police officer or a coroner. I have never met a child who wanted to be a coroner, as a matter of fact, I've never met anyone who wanted to be a coroner. Moriah grew up with a cat named Mittens. She told me a story about a photo her mother took of her, dragging the cat around the house by his tail when she was a toddler. According to Moriah, the cat was a great sport and actually seemed to like riding around. Currently, Moriah has a dog named Ginger. "She's a mutt." She told me while she giggled.

Moriah has a three and a half year old son, Brayden. Her most embarrassing moment happened while she was pregnant with him. She was out at a store and a lady approached her saying she looked as if she was about to pop and she must be due soon or she was having twins. She still had 4 months left. Moriah said it was because before she got pregnant, she was very small and her son ended up being big when he was born. She said he also liked to make himself very comfy and usually that meant he was horizontal, making her look bigger than she really was.

An interesting fact about Moriah is that she was part of choir since 4th grade. Karaoke, anyone? She also prefers the summer so she and Brayden can head out to the beach. She says she likes to go to a beach close to Jenison to avoid the busy beaches in Grand Haven and Holland.

Cameron Jacob Alevesteffer

Cam has always lived in the Grand Rapids area, He has mostly lived in the Hudsonville/ Jenison area. He briefly lived in Cedar Springs when he was a kid. Cam attended Hope College studying Communications and Business Management. 

When Cam was growing up his dream occupation was playing football for Michigan State. Oh, the dreams of a young boy. When he was a child he also had a dog named Buzz Lightyear. He was a golden retriever and probably the happiest dog in the world with a name like that. He currently has a dog named Gracie who is a dachshund/ beagle. According to Cam, she has the cutest face. We all love our furry friends!

An interesting fact about Cam is that for about four years, his main employment was as a professional poker player, can you say poker face? He used to play in Michigan and Indiana in all kinds of casinos and clubs. His most embarrassing moment happened at a different position he had as a furniture mover. He and his partner were moving a 400lb couch, it was their first job in a long list of jobs for the day. When Cam bent down to lift it, his pants ripped all the way through the center, almost in two. He didn't have a chance to change the entire day.

Cam's favorite season is summertime. He enjoys golfing and going to concerts. He also enjoys a good bonfire with friends. I think we could all agree that bonfires are the best in the summer.