A craftsman and an entrepreneur

A craftsman is a person who personally creates value with their own hands.

For example, a shoemaker who repairs customers ‘ shoes himself is a craftsman. Or a programmer who writes programs himself is a craftsman.

An entrepreneur is a person who organizes the process of creating value.

For example, a shoemaker who decided to expand his business, hired several craftsmen, selected new premises, provided workshops with raw materials, advertised, organized work, and so on, stopped being a craftsman and turned into an entrepreneur.

Not every craftsman can become an entrepreneur. To do this, in addition to professional skills in your business, you need to understand the market, be able to negotiate, have organizational skills and, finally, have high ambitions.

I’ve seen a lot of startups who were supposed to be entrepreneurs, but at heart they were still artisans. They were always trying to develop their own computer programs or fix their clients ‘ shoes.

There’s nothing wrong with that. You can remain a craftsman all your life and be happy. The main thing is to realize this in time and do what you love.

But if you decide to become an entrepreneur, then you need to stop personally coding programs or repairing shoes. If you don’t take your eyes off your product, look around, and look far ahead, you won’t be able to become a true entrepreneur.