Although the title is In the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, I could have named this post, Building for Bucks (you’ll read why in a minute) but in light of the message in the last Friday’s post, I think this is a better title. Wikipedia describes entrepreneurship as the following:
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods”. This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity. The most obvious form of entrepreneurship is that of starting new businesses (referred as Startup Company); however, in recent years, the term has been extended to include social and political forms of entrepreneurial activity.
I’ve been following the profile in The Washington Post on two bloggers who turned their passion for building their new home into an entrepreneurial venture. That’s the “Building for Bucks” would-be-title, but the bucks came after the fact and their passion for doing what they love, that’s the entrepreneurial part. John and Sherry Petersik write younghouselove.com, a DIY decorating blog that they first started to chronicle the renovation of their first home. Their blog took off and they finished their renovations in two years.
With the notoriety of their blog, they decided to make it their full time job as they document the ongoing changes they undertake on their second home in Richmond, all the while raising their young daughter, taking care of their chihuahua and fitting in all the press that they are getting.
Their readership is more than 20,000 FB fans; they answer about 200 blog comments a day; and they have about 10,000 followers on twitter. They’ve received the attention of Nate Berkus as well as signing a recent book deal and the advertising on their blog has grown to such a degree to be able support their entire family and home building endeavors.
This is an amazing and inspirational love story and it’s an example of the true spirit of entrepreneurship. Do something you love and it will be worth your while. This spirit is also described in my mother’s post on Friday, in which I learned a lot about the entrepreneurs she profiled.
There are just a few quotes that I’d like to highlight from the Petersik’s in the Post article. When asked what they would have changed in their DIY careers, they answer:
We would have taken more risks when it came to decorating our first house. We’re [now] stretching out of our comfort zone of white curtains, bamboo blinds and neutral and blue walls. It’s amazing how alive your house can feels if you take a chance and aim for something special.
“People think it’s easy,” says John, “that blogging is just throwing some thoughts together for a post and going about your day. But they forget the time it takes to do a project, photograph the project, edit and adjust the photos, write the posts, edit and double-check the information.”
Tell me about that latter one! One blog post can take over an hour to write and waiting for the pictures to upload just sucks the time away but there is a reward is in the doing and seeing the completion, even if you’re uncertain of the outcome.
Coincidentally, Steve Blank of the Business Insider describes entrepreneurship as an art not a job. Why? Because, “Founders [of start ups] fit the definition of a creator: they see something no one else does. And to help them create it from nothing, they surround themselves with world-class performers. This concept of creating something that few others see – and the reality distortion field necessary to recruit the team to build it – is at the heart of what startup founders do.” What are the traits of “artist” entrepreneurs: “Founders then put in play every skill which makes them unique – tenacity, passion, agility, rapid pivots, curiosity, learning and discovery, improvisation, ability to bring order out of chaos, resilience, leadership, a reality distortion field, and a relentless focus on execution – to lead the relentless process of refining their vision and making it a reality.”…“They sense the general direction they’re headed in, OK with uncertainty and surprises, using the tools at hand, along with their instinct to achieve their vision. These types of people are rare, unique and crazy. They’re artists.”
I like this quote but I wouldn’t consider myself crazy (ha), just an artist-entrepreneur trying something new with Casart Coverings.
Another thing about the spirit of entrepreneurship is it is what helps make America great — independence, hope, passion and the freedom to live your dream.
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