If you start a part-time business that doesn't make money (and that's okay with you), are you actually an entrepreneur? In one of those annoying trend pieces, the NY Times writes today about the increasing number of baby boomers who are starting "businesses"—and I use the term loosely. They don't care to make money, don't market, and aren't much interested in business. Says one such quasi-preneur Carl Boast:
"'I've put very little effort into marketing. I'm not out to make money or change the world.' He has created a Web site, he says, but it is 'buried in Earthlink somewhere' and is out of date."
Call me an elitist, but aren't these people just hobbyists?
Image via NY Times
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Cheers, Nathan, that your father has found a passion that he's able to continue in retirement. You bring up a good point - what is the aim of business? I think if you talk to most entrepreneurs, part of it is having a passion for whatever it is they do. Another part of it is autonomy, and working for themselves. But let's face it, money, for most entrepreneurs, is what drives them. And if you're not trying to start, grow, and profit from your business - then you're simply doing it for your own personal fulfillment. I would argue that that defines a hobby, wouldn't you?
—brittschaeffer
13:44, July 3rd, 2008
Perhaps many retiree's businesses are more akin to hobbies, but to claim that profiteering and marketing are the two definitive facets of "business", as it were, is ignorance. A lot of retirees are offering services that, albeit may be out of date, are a big bang for their buck.
My Dad is a quasi-preneur who trades his knowledge of filing taxes for other services (as well as money) from friends, family and strangers looking for a bargain. Comparatively speaking, he gets little in return for the time he puts in (a - no profits), is driven by word of mouth (b - no marketing); it keeps him busy and is, without argue, of value to the economy.
He is in business. It is not a hobby. He offers what many companies out there for a profit can't offer - friendly, personable and reliable service. Now that's what business is about.
—nathanjenkins
10:57, July 3rd, 2008
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