I've been having the same conversation over and over lately, and it's starting to drive me a little crazy. Someone will reach out and say something like, "I want to start something, but I'm not a real entrepreneur," or "I'm building a YouTube channel, but does that even count?"
And my personal favorite: "I'm still working my 9-to-5, so I guess I'm not really in business yet until I quit."
Can we just stop this for a second?
Here's what I want you to understand: If you're using your creativity, your voice, your skills to build anything that brings in income or impact, then you are an entrepreneur. Period.
I don't know where we got this idea that entrepreneurship has some kind of official entry requirements. Like you need to drop out of college in a garage, raise venture capital, or dramatically quit your job in some grand gesture to earn the title.
The truth is, some of the most successful entrepreneurs I know still have day jobs. They're building their businesses one evening and weekend at a time. They're testing ideas, serving customers, and making real money while keeping their steady paychecks and benefits.
Think about it: The teacher selling digital resources online? That's entrepreneurship. The accountant sharing tax tips on social media and landing new clients? That's entrepreneurship. The person who started fixing computers for friends and now has a growing tech support business? That's entrepreneurship.
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You don't need anyone's permission to call yourself an entrepreneur. You don't need a certain revenue number or employee count or some magical moment when the universe declares you worthy.
What you need is to stop waiting for validation and start claiming what's already yours.
Your side hustle isn't "just" a side hustle – it's a business. Your creative project that's bringing in income isn't a hobby – it's entrepreneurship. Your consulting work, your online course, your handmade products, your content creation – all of it counts.
I've built businesses across three continents while raising four kids, and let me tell you what I've learned: The entrepreneur police don't exist. There's no secret club with exclusive membership requirements.
The only person stopping you from embracing the entrepreneur identity is you.
So here's what I want you to do: Stop minimizing what you're building. Stop apologizing for keeping your day job while you grow your business. Stop asking if you're a "real" entrepreneur and start focusing on what you're going to create next.
Because the world doesn't need another Silicon Valley origin story. It needs your story. Your unique perspective. Your solution to the problem that keeps you up at night.
You're not waiting to become an entrepreneur – you already are one.
I want to hear from you: What idea has been bouncing around in your head? What are you building or planning to build? Drop it in the comments – I genuinely want to celebrate every single dream you're working on. And if you're still hesitating to call yourself an entrepreneur, tell me what's holding you back. Let's work through it together.