Are You a Genuine Entrepreneur?

**usakos** · 06-23-2007 01:28 PM

By marketing and participating in affiliate program and similar MLM programs actually qualify you to call yourself a genuine entrepreneur, if all you do is market and participate in different affiliate programs which were actually created and developed by other people? Aren't these people the real entrepreneurs instead and not those who participate in affiliate and MLM programs? Why would you call yourself an entrepreneur? Detail explain yourself.

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**philv** · 06-23-2007 01:41 PM

i guess you can have Entrepreneur spirit, but i believe a true Entrepreneur is starting something yourself from start to finish, even if your ideas are out there...

**versas** · 06-23-2007 01:46 PM

Good post with a shameless plug.

Yes, I agree, you are NOT an entrepreneur if you participate in affiliate programs and call it your business.

In fact, your an indirect employee of the affiliate company you are working with.

They are the one's who writes you the paycheck.

They are the ones who take care of the inner workings of the company.

And most importantly, they are the ones who STARTED and RUN the company.

So do not call your self an entrepreneur if all you are is a little person working FOR an Affiliate.

I suppose you would belong in the YoungEmployee.com messageboard and not here cluttering your spam induced crap all over the board.

**jasaunders** · 06-23-2007 01:54 PM

I agree.
Definition of an entrepreneur: Innovator. A person who takes the risk of organizing and operating a new business venture.

I don't think network marketing or whatever "new term" you want to call it these days fits into this definition.

**philv** · 06-23-2007 02:00 PM

yeah good pts miss versas and ja

i believe anyone can do that stuff....not every1 can create it from nothing into something

**radreality** · 06-23-2007 02:11 PM

according to the legal definition, you would be considered an independent contractor. So you are a small business person yes.....but an entrepreneur? thats just a matter of opinion.

I don't believe that its the people that actually call them self entrepreneurs; the businesses at which they are a part of are the ones that have coined the phrases like "owning your own business" "being your own boss" "independent business owners" etc. I believe its a marketing technique by these companies that help empower their associates into believing that they actually are entrepreneurs and that they do own their own business.

Not everyone, but a good chunk of people involved with MLM are unable to make it in the actual business world (I use to be heavily involved in MLM and was somewhat successful and I even started my own mlm company for a while......I know how the industry works). These companies won't have good and loyal associates if the associates think that they are on the low end of the food chain. They have to be empowered (brainwashed is a harsh word, but accurate I think) to thinking that they really are doing something on their own.

I was having a hard time conveying my thoughts....hopefully this made sense.

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**David Rocci** · 06-23-2007 02:18 PM

I believe the comments to the original question are well-founded in regards to MLM and affiliate marketing. ... however, playing devil's advocate - I am a franchisee. Am I an entrepreneur? I own and operate a single unit of a much larger organization. I pay royalties and marketing fees. But, I also organized, developed and executed my own marketing plan, selected and negotiated my location, hired and paid employees and bear the full financial risk of success (leases, loans, etc).

According to RadReality this may make me a small business person but not an entrepreneur... ? As much as I despise MLM and affiliate marketing crap, franchising is comparable in some ways to mlm...

What do you think? I'm interested for your comments.

-dave

**usakos** · 06-23-2007 03:59 PM

I think it's different from being a Franchisee, because initially you have to set up the franchise business just as you would set up your own business; write the business plan, choose location, negotiate all the terms including leases, get funding, do the renovations if needed, hire employees, open the business, do the marketing and promotion for your business and provide the service to customers.

No, I'd consider that being an entrepreneur, because you're doing exactly what anyone else would do as though you were starting your own business.

I guess the original posting refers mostly to people out there who are running around calling them entrepreneurs when all they do is market and promote affiliate and MLM programs.

**Unreal030** · 06-23-2007 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by versas

Good post with a shameless plug.

Yes, I agree, you are NOT an entrepreneur if you participate in affiliate programs and call it your business.

In fact, your an indirect employee of the affiliate company you are working with.

They are the one's who writes you the paycheck.

They are the ones who take care of the inner workings of the company.

And most importantly, they are the ones who STARTED and RUN the company.

So do not call your self an entrepreneur if all you are is a little person working FOR an Affiliate.

I suppose you would belong in the YoungEmployee.com messageboard and not here cluttering your spam induced crap all over the board.

Agree 100% with this. You are not an entrepreneur, you need to wake up and smell the coffee, and get a real job.