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How Entrepreneurs Make Money and Lead Happy Lives
Q&A with Gregg Vanourek, coauthor of "Life Entrepreneurs"
Posted May 30, 2008
Entrepreneurship is often seen not just as an approach to business but as a way of life. In the process of writing Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek interviewed 55 successful entrepreneurs from a variety of industries, both for-profit and nonprofit.
U.S. News spoke with Vanourek, who has run a consulting firm and worked in the education sector, about how there's competitive—and personal—advantage to be gained from pursuing entrepreneurship as a way of life. Excerpts:
In your book, you define entrepreneurship as something more than just starting your own business.
I think a lot of people confuse owning a small business with entrepreneurship. They are closely related but not exactly the same thing. Most definitions of entrepreneurship include this notion of innovation. It's possible for a small-business owner to take the existing model and do the same thing. Innovation and entrepreneurship really go hand in hand. You can't be entrepreneurial without being innovative.
We define the entrepreneurial way as opportunity recognition, innovation, and action. A lifelong entrepreneur is creating a life of significance through opportunity recognition, innovation, and action.
You don't have to be a business entrepreneur or social entrepreneur to be a life entrepreneur. You can live your life in an entrepreneurial way and work for corporate
How can someone be a "life entrepreneur"?
Part of that is just being innovative and recognizing opportunities in your whole life. There's a guy we interviewed named Max Israel. One of the things he builds into his professional life is his own "secret office." He builds [into his schedule] 25 work days out of the year to go out into the woods and go canoeing and adventure biking, that sort of thing. He has fun, but he also has his best ideas there. So he's building his quality of life into his annual professional calendar in a way that's restoring and renewing.
Do people really want to incorporate entrepreneurship into their daily life? Many people prefer to keep work separate from the rest of their lives.
What we're not talking about is having your work life so pervasive that it consumes your whole life. We believe your professional life should be challenging and exciting, a dynamic part of your whole life, but it's only a part. The key is to integrate your personal and professional life. What we mean is being the same person in your personal life that you are at work. We [write in the book] about having a strong personal foundation and core identity—knowing what your values are, what your strengths and passions are, and bringing those to bear in your work, and your personal life, so that you're the same person across all of those different roles.
A lot of people get caught in the trap that "I'm the CEO, or I'm the marketing professional, or I'm the HR person, and I bring this persona to work, but I leave it behind when I go home." They don't bring their sense of humor or values or personal characteristics to their work, and there's a real danger there.
What's the danger?
You become this self-important executive, and you feel that your whole identity is wrapped up in the success of the initiative. A lot of people end up cutting corners because their identity is so wrapped up in the bottom-line numbers.
What's an example of someone integrating their work and personal life?
One of the best examples is Gary Erickson, the founder of Clif Bar. When he started Clif Bar, he was this young kid who was interested in three things: One was jazz, two was adventure sports, and three was organic, healthy food. He had the vision to start a company to make organic, healthy energy bars. He integrated those passions into his approach and the way the company is run. The company has a very exciting, dynamic culture—they have weekly jam sessions in a company theater to bring that jazz aspect forward. They have community service programs and company wellness programs where people get paid time off to use the company's personal trainers to exercise. They give back some of their profits to the community. He's created this company that reflects who he really is. He allows other people who share those values to have a fun, interesting job where they can also make a contribution.
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<!--/#article-navigation-->Reader Comments
I agree we must be innovatiive to be a fulfiulled Entrepreneur
This blog hits to the core of the Entrepreneur matter. I agree wholehardily that to succeed in business and life we must merge the Entrepreneur and life worlds coincidentally to reach our true potential. One man I admire is Noel Swanson. He has a incredible innovative spirit that is contagious. He has several websites but I find this one truly amazing. http://tinyurl.com/6ml58l
of CA
Nov 14, 2008 21:51:17 PM [permalink] [report comment]
$MAKE LOTS OF QUICK CASH THE EASY WAY$$
==========================================
Dear Internet User,
Good day, This article I've written is all about the fact where I
earned an ASTOUNDING amount of money in less than a month and I've
decided to share or reveal the secrets behind making big bucks in the
Mail Order Business.
So all money seekers read this carefully.
=========================================
**READING THIS COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!**
I found this on a bulletin board like this one and decided to try it.
A little while back, I was browsing through several newsgroups, just
like you are now, and came across an article similar to this that said
you could make thousands of dollars within weeks with only an initial
investment of $6.00! So I thought, "Yeah right, this must be a scam",
but like most of us, I was curious, so I kept reading. Anyway, it said
that you need to send $1.00 to each of the 6 names and address stated
in the article. You then place your own name and address in the bottom
of the list at #6, and post the article in at least 200 newsgroups.
(There are thousands) No catch, that was it. So after thinking it
over, and talking to a few people first, I thought about trying it. I
figured: "what have I got to lose except 6 stamps and $6.00, right?"
Then I invested the measly $6.00. Well GUESS WHAT!!... within 7 days,
I started getting money in the mail! I was shocked! I figured it would
end soon, but the money just kept coming in. In my first week, I made
about $25.00. By the end of the second week I had made a total of over
$1,000.00! In the third week I had over $10,000.00 and it's still
growing. This is now my fourth week and I have made just over
$42,000.00 and it's still coming in rapidly. It's certainly worth
$6.00, and 6 stamps, I have spent more than that on the lottery!!
Let me tell you how this works and most importantly, why it works....
Also, make sure you print a copy of this article NOW, so you can get
the information off of it as you need it. I promise you that if you
follow the directions exactly, that you will start making more money
than you thought possible by doing something so easy!
SUGGESTION: Read this entire message carefully! (print it out or
download it.) Follow the simple directions and watch the money come
in! It's easy. It's legal. And, your investment is only $6.00 (Plus
postage).
IMPORTANT: This is not a rip-off; it is not indecent; it is not
illegal; and it is virtually no risk - it really works!!!! If all of
the following instructions are adhered to, you will receive
extraordinary dividends.
PLEASE NOTE: Please follow these directions EXACTLY, and $50,000 or
more can be yours in 20 to 60 days. This program remains successful
because of the honesty and integrity of the participants. Please
continue it’s success by carefully adhering to the instructions. You
will now become part of the Mail Order business. In this business your
product is not solid and tangible, it's a service. You are in the
business of developing Mailing Lists. Many large corporations are
happy to pay big bucks for quality lists. However, the money made from
the mailing lists is secondary to the income which is made from people
like you and me asking to be included in that list.
==========================================
-->HERE ARE 4 EASY STEPS TO GET STARTED<--
STEP 1: Get 6 separate pieces of paper and write the following on each
piece of paper "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST." Now get 6
$1.00 bills and place ONE inside EACH of the 6 pieces of paper so the
bill will not be seen through the envelope ( Please make sure that the
bill wouldn't be noticed in the envelope to prevent thievery). Send
out US $ DOLLAR, so it would be more acceptable.
STEP 2: Next, place one paper in each of the 6 envelopes and seal them
properly. You should now have 6 sealed envelopes, each with a piece of
paper stating the phrase, "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST.", your
name and address, and a $1.00 bill.
What you are doing is creating a service. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY LEGAL!
You are requesting for a legitimate service and you are paying for it!
Like most of us, I was a little skeptical and a little worried about
the legal aspects of it all. So I checked it out with the U.S. Post
Office (1-800-725-2161) and they confirmed that it is indeed legal!
Mail the US$6.00 to the following addresses:
1) Tamara Ortiz
2)Love Carter
3) Elizabeth Arredondo
4) Damarius Betts
1856 Tarama way
5) Julie Nimetry
6)Robert Briley
1250 Western Blvd L-2 PMB 181
Jacksonville, NC 28546
STEP 3: Now take the #1 name off the list that you see above, move the
other names up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc...) and add YOUR Name as
number 6 on the list.
STEP 4: Copy this article. Change anything you need to, but try to
keep this article as close to original as possible. Now, post your
amended article to at least 200 newsgroups. (I think there are close
to 2.4million groups) All you need is 200, but remember, the more you
post, the more money you make! This is perfectly legal! If you have
any doubts, refer to Title 18, Section 1302 and 1341, US Postal and
Lottery Laws or Title 18, Section 3005 in the
code of Federal regulations, Volume 16, Sections 255 and 436, which
states; "a product or service must be exchanged for money received."
The simple note in the letter, "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST",
makes it legal because you are paying for exchange of a service,
(adding the purchasers name to his mailing list) for a $1.00 fee.
IMPORTANT: Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you
need money, you can use it again, and again. PLEASE REMEMBER that this
program remains successful because of the honesty and integrity of the
participants and by their carefully adhering to the directions. Look
at it this way. If you are of integrity, the program will continue and
the money that so many others have received will come your way.
NOTE: You may want to retain every name and address sent to you,
either on a computer or hard copy and keep the notes people send you.
This VERIFIES that you are truly providing a service. (Also, it might
be a good idea to wrap the $1 bill in dark paper to reduce the risk of
mail theft.) So, as each post is downloaded and the directions
carefully followed, six members will be reimbursed for their
participation as a List Developer with one dollar each. Your name will
move up the list geometrically so that when your name reaches the #1
position you will be receiving thousands of dollars in CASH!!! What an
opportunity for only $6.00 ($1.00 for each of the first six people
listed above) Send it now, add your own name to the list and you're in
business!
===============================================
-->DIRECTIONS FOR HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS<--
Step 1) You do not need to re-type this entire letter to do your own
posting. Simply put your mouse cursor at the beginning of this letter,
click and drag your cursor to the bottom of this document, right click
and select 'copy' from the edit menu. This will copy the entire letter
into the computer's memory.
Step 2) Open a blank 'notepad' file and place your mouse cursor at the
top of the blank page. Right click and from the 'edit' menu select
'paste'. This will paste a copy of the letter into notepad so that you
can add your name and postal address to the list.
Step 3) Save your new notepad file as a .txt file. If you want to do
your postings in different settings, you'll always have this file to
go back to.
Step 4) Use Netscape or Internet explorer and try searching for
various newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites,
discussions.)
Step 5) Visit these message boards and post this article as a new
message by highlighting the text of this letter and selecting paste
from the edit menu. Fill in the Subject, this will be the header that
everyone sees as they scroll through the list of postings in a
particular group, click the "post" message button. You're done with
your first one!
Congratulations...THAT'S IT! All you have to do is jump to different
newsgroups and post away, after you get the hang of it, it will take
about a minute for each newsgroup! **REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS YOU
POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!! BUT YOU HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM
OF 200** That's it! You will begin receiving money from around the
world within days! You may eventually want to rent a P.O.Box due to
the large amount of mail you will receive. If you wish to stay
anonymous, you can invent a name to use, as long as the postman will
deliver it. **JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES ARE CORRECT.**
=======================================
*Now the WHY part; Out of 200 postings, say I receive only 5 replies
(a very low example). So then I made $5.00 with my name at #6 on the
letter. Now, each of the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make the
MINIMUM 200 postings, each with my name at #5 and only 5 persons
respond to each of the original 5, that is another $25.00 for me, now
those 25 each make 200 MINIMUM posts with my name at #4 and only 5
replies each, I will bring in an additional $125.00! Now, those 125
persons turn around and post the MINIMUM 200 with my name at #3 and
only receive 5 replies each, I will make an additional $626.00! OK,
now here is the fun part, each of those 625 persons post a MINIMUM 200
letters with my name at #2 and they each only receive 5 replies, that
just made me $3,125.00!!! Those 3,125 persons will all deliver this
message to 200 newsgroups with my name at #1 and if still ONLY 5
persons per 200 newsgroups react I will receive $15,625,00! With an
original investment of only $6.00! AMAZING! When your name is no
longer on the list, you just take the latest posting in the
newsgroups, and send out another $6.00 to names on the list, putting
your name at number 6 again. And start posting again. The thing to
remember is: do you realize that thousands of people all over the
world are joining the internet and reading these articles everyday?,
JUST LIKE YOU are now!! So, can you afford $6.00 and see if it really
works?? I think so... People have said, "what if the plan is played
out and no one sends you the money? So what! What are the chances of
that happening when there are tons of new honest users and new honest
people who are joining the internet and newsgroups everyday and are
willing to give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new users,
every day, with thousands of those joining the actual internet!!!
REMEMBER, PLAY FAIRLY AND HONESTLY AND THIS WILL WORK FOR YOU!!!
GOOD LUCK to all and please play fairly and reap the huge rewards from
this, which is tons of extra CASH.
By the way, please DON'T try to deceive people by posting the messages
with your name in the list and not sending the CASH to the rest of the
people already on the list, you will NOT get any. This is the fairest
and most honest way I have ever seen to share the wealth of the world
without costing anything but our time!!! You also may want to buy
mailing and e-mail lists for future cash. Make sure you print this
article out RIGHT NOW! Also, try to keep a list of everyone that sends
you CASH and always keep an eye on the newsgroups to make sure
everyone is playing fairly. Remember, HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.
IMPORTANT: If you're not interested to my article, (don't want instant
cash?), please pass this message to anyone who wishes quick money.
Thank you so much.
=======================================
