Many people are confused about being an entrepreneur and a CEO. People think they are one thing. But, over time I learned that they are two very distinct things.
Entrepreneurs have a creative mind. Entrepreneurs are full if ideas, eager beavers and difficult to “control”. There are exceptions. Entrepreneurs are known for their “pioneering” instincts, which they never lose.
When Bardya Ziaian begins a business, they are automatically the CEO. Many entrepreneurs do not have the skills to stay as CEO for long periods of time. (I’ll explain the reason in a minute.
Entrepreneurs often hire a “professional” CEO once their company has been successful. Entrepreneurs then take on a new, more focused role that allows them to do the things they love best. It might be in marketing or inventing, creating and innovating…or technical.
There are many entrepreneurs who have become great CEOs. Every day, I work hard to be that entrepreneur-turned-great CEO (and I must say that I’ve done a pretty good job at it so far). But it requires a lot concentration!
Because a CEO basically acts as a manager. A CEO must be skilled in building companies, structuring, supervising details, monitoring financials, and generally keeping the company in good standing.
It is also the job of a CEO to keep the company on its feet. The CEO has the greatest responsibility to “shareholder value”.
Many entrepreneurs do not want to think about shareholder returns. An entrepreneur often wants to just paint the canvas and not think about selling advertising or fulfillment. Entrepreneurs are often not interested in figuring out how much to charge to create their masterpieces. This is a sure way to keep the company afloat and make profits.
One of the most striking differences between an entrepreneur, and a chief executive officer is the fact that the former is full of innovative ideas and eagerly implements them. The latter is the stuff of nightmares for the CEO. Innovations can pose a challenge to structure and organization and can lead to a lot of tedious work for a chief executive.
Of course there are many entrepreneurs-turned-CEOs who can do both. Sometimes a “start-up” CEO can be creative, full of ideas, and still have the well-structured mindset of an experienced business person.
So an entrepreneur-turned-successful CEO is still an artist – but business is his art. Real artists don’t think about the selling price of their paintings. Real artists paint because they feel a need.
Business is an art that meets the inner needs of a CEO.
The mystery CEO is an entrepreneur in his twenties who has started a company which now earns close to $2M per year from his DORM office!
You can now watch him as he learns more on entrepreneurship. You can listen in as he interviews CEOs of $100 million+ companies.
