Entrepeneur's Creed Relegated To Bathroom Corridor

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There has been a lot of bashing of business these days in our political discussions. There are, no doubt, some in any field of endeavor who lie or cheat or abuse people in the process of getting to the top, but as a whole, we should honor, not discourage those who have the courage to launch out on their own and start their own business. As someone who has worked in a variety of capacities -- for large academic institutions, stable government, the judiciary, a medium-size estabished law firm, and now as my small business, I can tell you it is far, far easier to be an employee than a business owner. It is far less stressful and far less frightening.

Small businesses are the backbone of America and the economic engine that keeps it turning and the great creator of jobs. Even as they enact politices and taxes that make it difficult for them to survive, politicians give lip service to the value of small businesses, without acknowledging that the hope of most of those small businesses is that they will one day grow into a big business. Labor is great, but it isn't labor that creates the jobs -- it is the entrepreneur. It seems hip to trash those who are willing to put their future on the line by taking the risk of having their own business, and I, for one, am sick of it. The ingratitude and ignorance of the spirit that has made this nation great appauls me.

Yesterday I saw a poster with the following inscription outside the bathrooms of Sam's. It stopped me dead in my tracks and I thought, how sad that this wonderful document is relegated to the bathroom corridor; if I could, I would hang it in every classroom in America and try to bring back a proper appreciation for the spirit that made America the greatest power on earth. The author is unknown, but you can find it by googling it. I offer it as a thank you and as a note of encouragement to all those who are striving to have their own businesses and to be a wealth-creator not just for themselves but for their employees, customers, and communities.

The Entrepreneur’s Creed

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon – if I can. I seek opportunity – not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk, to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of Utopia.

I will not trade my freedom for beneficence, nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid; to think and act for myself, to enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say:

This, with my family and friends, I have done. All this is what it means to be an entrepreneur.

by J. Lenora Bresler