The lord is the lord
In fact, whenever people talk about entrepreneurship, they underline how the entrepreneur is his own master and has no boss. "What I like about being an entrepreneur is that I am not accountable to anyone but myself!" I dare say that ten times out of ten, the fictitious quote I wrote above, completely out of context, is a reality. One of the most important carrots that attract people to entrepreneurship is the idea of being your own master.
That is very much the case, but I am also prepared to oppose this prevailing idea. I base my "objection" on the 17th century poet John Donne's idea that "No man is an island, but every man is part of a common continent." This quote applies to many aspects of life and society - whether it is social policy or human relations. In my view, it also allows us to examine and reflect on the idea I mentioned above of the entrepreneur as master of himself, responsible only to himself.
I subscribe to the idea of entrepreneurial autonomy. It was, after all, one of the reasons why I myself took the leap into the unknown and uncertain universe of entrepreneurship. It's nice to wake up when my eyes open and work without the boss breathing down my neck and watching my every move. At the same time, when people talk about entrepreneurship, sometimes even overemphasising its independence, it seems as if they have completely forgotten that the master is the master. "Entrepreneurship is the best because I am my own boss. Nobody tells me what to do!"
True, you are your own boss, your own boss, but that is only half the truth. Since no man is an island, an entrepreneur has many bosses - depending, of course, on the industry he operates in. For some strange reason, when it comes to entrepreneurship, the loud glorification of independence has suppressed the fact that the entrepreneur is a worker just like anyone else. His bosses are, among other things, his customers and those who commission his work or services. Without them, there is no business. And unlike individual bosses in paid employment, customers are more ruthless.
Entrepreneurs, whether they are light entrepreneurs or those running a limited company, are the backbone of Finnish society. Entrepreneurs and their businesses are a very important cog in the social machine, but that cog would not turn without the oil, the customers. So who are they? Put simply, they are all the people who keep the firm going.
Competition in society is fierce and brutal, and it is especially so for small businesses. How do you stand out from all the other players in the same industry? How to market yourself to B2C customers and keep consumers loyal? How to convince B2B customers that they need the services of a particular company? In addition to day-to-day business, an entrepreneur must be a problem solver and be able to predict the future.
The times we live in are not the easiest for an entrepreneur, as social media has brought one more variable into the entrepreneur's lap. Yes, through the modern bush radio, company X can get the wind under its wings and take off in a frenzy. At the same time, even one small mistake can pay off many dozens of times over and affect the very existence of the firm. We have numerous examples of this over the last few years. Today's consumers are well aware of the values of a company or the outputs of its representatives, for example. And, as we have seen, these bosses can be unpredictable and ruthless. When the ramp on the Internet starts to go up, it is not immediately stopped - if at all.
While the "I am my own boss" rhetoric lives on when talking about entrepreneurship, it's healthy to remember that every entrepreneur works for others. Each of us will have to make compromises along the way if we want our business to flourish. In this day and age, everything affects everything, and no business is an island.
While the "I am my own boss" rhetoric lives on when talking about entrepreneurship, it is healthy to remember that every entrepreneur works for others.
Pastor