Getting on my "business shaming" soapbox | MMPT

I’ve been witnessing a lot of “business shaming” happening around me lately.

Meaning, one business owner shaming another type of business owner for it being (or not being) a certain type of “entrepreneurship”.

Business shaming comes in the form of:

• Tearing someone down because it’s not a high-growth venture (or because it is).
• Judging someone for starting a business that isn’t scalable (or because it is).
• Criticizing someone for embarking on their own career of direct sales.
• Thinking less of a business owner because they provide a service versus developing a product (or vice-versa).

Whatever it may be, there’s not a clear-cut definition of entrepreneurship that I’ve seen everyone agree upon. Ask people how they would define that word and you’ll find several answers. But when it comes down to one person’s version what it means to be an entrepreneur compared to another person’s version, I’ve witnessed far too often judgement being thrown each other’s way.

Now, there’s no doubt that there are different types and structures of self-employment, entrepreneurship, and business ownership – each with their own dynamic and process. There’s no arguing that a high-growth entrepreneur is different, in many ways, from a lifestyle entrepreneur. I certainly have my own definition of entrepreneurship which some people would or would not fit into. Frankly, on this soapbox, I’m not concerned with the actual definition or what is and what isn’t entrepreneurship. That’s not my issue with business shaming.

Find out what I’m ranting about in today's episode