Many people dream of becoming an entrepreneur one day, of having that go-getter attitude and being able to run their own business while leaving their boss in the dust. Unfortunately, many others don’t know what separates an entrepreneur from someone who simply holds a job, and they never reach their entrepreneurial potential because of it.

There’s no doubt about it - entrepreneurs are pretty special people. In fact, there’s something about an entrepreneur that just makes the prospect of starting their own business, working on their own terms and building their own empire incredibly exciting, not to mention incredibly appealing to the majority of people who want to do it but haven’t done it yet (you know who you are). The question is... what actually separates entrepreneurs from the people who don’t become entrepreneurs? Here are a few reasons why some people make it as entrepreneurs and some people don’t...

Know your goals

The first step to achieving your goals is recognizing what they are. Once you have a clear idea, commit to defining and documenting each goal. Make these goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound). By doing so, you’ll establish a baseline for your efforts and keep track of your progress as you work toward completing your goals.

Diversify, Diversify, Diversify

Just like you wouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, an entrepreneur should be working on multiple projects. Having side hustles can help prevent you from burning out and keep you sharp by increasing your skillset. While it’s not always easy to have a full-time job and multiple side hustles, for many entrepreneurs it’s just necessary.

Never Give Up

Any entrepreneur will tell you that they’ve experienced their fair share of difficulties while pursuing their dreams. An entrepreneur isn’t afraid to get knocked down; it’s what happens next that separates them from everyone else. Simply getting back up is one thing, but keeping your head high when others doubt you and never giving up are what true entrepreneurs are made of.

Learn From Mistakes

Mistakes are such a big part of entrepreneurship that they seem to almost be expected. You’ll make them (we all have), and in order to grow, you need to learn from those mistakes. After all, if there weren’t any risk, it wouldn’t be entrepreneurship!

The Bottom Line

Have you ever wondered what separates an entrepreneur from an employee? The two terms employee and entrepreneur are very similar in their definition, but there are some significant differences between them. An employee is someone who works for another person or company, doing whatever the employer orders him to do. A job doer would be someone who works hard to complete all his tasks by following the instructions given by the employer without showing any creativity in his tasks and projects.