Meaningful Entrepreneurship. You hear about it a lot. You may even be doing it without knowing it. What is Meaningful Entrepreneurship? And what is the biggest pitfall?

Why meaningful business?
Meaningful entrepreneurship is hip. You hear these two words more and more. Sometimes that is in the form of green marketing campaigns by large companies. Or sometimes small-scale initiatives for a better world. A better world? Also read Stop making the world a better place . Our beautiful world is changing. Large, trusted brands are disappearing and new brands are emerging .

Goodbye OAD, Halfords and Siebel Jewelers. Welcome AirBnB and Uber. We’re done grabbing and bonuses. We want to look at the world differently. We feel the world needs something different now. Meaningful entrepreneurship can help with this. But what is meaningful business?

Meaningful entrepreneurship
Let’s start by exploring what meaningful entrepreneurship is. Meaningful means full of meaning. What is Meaning? Van Dale gives two variants. Content or sense and importance or value. Two variants that both fit perfectly with meaningful entrepreneurship.

Because giving meaning is about content and sense or about importance and value . Or all four of course. Meaningful entrepreneurship is therefore about meaningful and/or valuable entrepreneurship. What are the two variants ?

Two kinds of meaning
Van Dale’s definition gives rise to two variants of meaningful entrepreneurship:

• social entrepreneurs . Entrepreneurs who want to contribute something good to our world. Creating employment in third world countries. Or eliminate malaria from the world.
• professionals . With substantive passion in the field of accountancy, software, dentistry, nutrition, you name it . They represent content. Maybe even called craft idiots by their colleagues.

Both types of entrepreneurs seem very different. On points they are. But they also have a lot in common. Both types of entrepreneurs are do-gooders who want to conquer the world. Both want the best for their environment. Many meaningful entrepreneurs are insufficiently successful. What is their biggest pitfall?

Biggest pitfall
Many meaningful companies lead a marginal existence. There’s a reason for that. They give too much and ask for too little. Energetically, the exchange between entrepreneur and outside world is structurally imbalanced. That will pay off sooner or later. I see meaningful companies disappear, meaningful entrepreneurs burn out or fight for survival in marginality. With far-reaching consequences!

For it is a sin if meaning does not come to fruition by developing insufficient strength . Eternal sin. That is why I grant meaningful companies meaningful power. That they give meaning and develop the strength to market that meaning. Read more about power of meaning. The consequence of power of meaning is impact (or effect if you like that word better). Impact can be described in a formula as meaning times force. Read more about the power of meaning formula .

What is an Entrepreneur?

To know what an entrepreneur is and how you can become one yourself, we will first look at the definition of the word. Most people have undoubtedly heard it or are hearing it more and more. However, many people do not know what it really means or exactly means. Nevertheless, the term is slowly but surely becoming more common in the Netherlands and used in more places. We describe the exact definition of the word below.

The definition of the word entrepreneur

Quite simply, an entrepreneur means an entrepreneur. Someone who, as it were, manages and runs a company at his own risk and with his own input, both in time and financially. An enterprising entrepreneur, therefore, especially recognizable by the fact that he dares to take risks and certainly does not shy away from them.

Moreover, it stands for someone who is once a people type. So he likes to deal with people a lot. Many entrepreneurs have the characteristic that they know how to get the best out of the people around them. By lifting everyone to a higher level in this way, it has a positive effect on the business part.