Think about the student who noticed that nobody was selling snacks after basketball practice and talked the student council into opening a table outside the gym. Or the Grade 11 who taught herself photo editing and now runs the yearbook's photo team. Neither of them owns a company, but both spotted something that could be better and did something about it. That is what being enterprising means. Some enterprising people go further: they start their own business, put their own money on the line and keep the profit or absorb the loss. Those people are entrepreneurs. This lesson sorts out the difference, because the rest of this course builds toward your own venture plan, and every venture starts with an enterprising person.
Profile of an Enterprising Person
An enterprising person is someone who sees opportunities and acts on them with initiative, creativity and resourcefulness, whether they work for themselves, for an employer, for a school club or as a volunteer. A profile is a structured description that pulls together everything that makes up a type of person. For an enterprising person, a complete profile covers seven areas. Notice that most of them can be learned and practised. Very few people are born with all of them.
| Profile area | What it means | Example in an enterprising student |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Personal qualities that show in how someone behaves | Takes initiative, keeps going after a setback, stays positive |
| Skills | Things a person has learned to do well through practice | Organizing a schedule, speaking to a group, handling cash |
| Motivations | The reasons that drive someone to act | Wanting independence, wanting to help others, wanting to earn money |
| Abilities | What someone is capable of doing right now | Can design a poster, can fix a bike, can run a sound board |
| Attitudes | A settled way of thinking or feeling about things | Sees problems as challenges; believes effort leads to results |
| Aptitudes | A natural talent or potential to learn something quickly | Picks up new apps fast; has a good ear for music |
| Contributions | The value the person adds for others | Raises money for a charity, improves a club, creates a service people use |
How an Entrepreneur Is Different
An entrepreneur is a person who starts, organizes and owns a venture and bears its risk. A venture is any new business or project undertaken with some risk. The key word is risk. The entrepreneur invests their own money, time or reputation, and if the venture loses money, the entrepreneur absorbs the loss. If it succeeds, the entrepreneur keeps the profit. Every entrepreneur is enterprising, because you cannot start a business without initiative and creativity. But not every enterprising person is an entrepreneur: plenty of enterprising people use the same qualities as employees, volunteers or team leaders without owning anything.
- Shows initiative, creativity and resourcefulness
- Can work for an employer, a club, a school or a charity
- Usually does not carry the financial risk personally
- Example: the yearbook editor who sells ads to local businesses
- Shows the same qualities as an enterprising person
- Starts, organizes and owns the venture
- Bears the financial risk: keeps the profit or absorbs the loss
- Example: a student who buys blank phone cases with her own savings and sells custom designs
There is a third type worth knowing. An intrapreneur is an employee who behaves like an entrepreneur inside an existing organization: they come up with a new product, service or process and push it forward, but the employer owns the result and carries the financial risk. A cashier at a local grocery store who suggests and then organizes a curbside pick-up service is being an intrapreneur. So is a student council member who proposes a new online ordering system for the school store. Employers value intrapreneurs highly, which is one reason enterprising skills help you even if you never start a business.
Enterprising Opportunities in School and Community
You do not need a business licence to start practising enterprising skills. Schools and communities are full of low-risk opportunities where you can try out leadership, selling, planning and money management. Each opportunity below uses a different mix of skills, which is why it helps to try several.
| Opportunity | Enterprising skills it builds |
|---|---|
| Selling yearbook ads to local businesses | Selling, negotiating, professional communication, meeting deadlines |
| Writing for or editing the school newspaper | Researching, writing, interviewing, managing a team |
| Running a car-wash or bake-sale fundraiser | Planning, promotion, handling cash, coordinating volunteers |
| Working in or managing the school store | Customer service, inventory, pricing, cash handling |
| Giving music lessons to younger students | Teaching, scheduling, setting a fair price, building trust with parents |
| Coaching a youth sports team | Leadership, motivating others, problem solving, communication |
| Organizing a snow-shovelling or lawn-care service for neighbours | Initiative, reliability, pricing, customer relationships |
Personal Benefits of Being Enterprising
- Confidence: finishing a project you started yourself proves that you can make things happen.
- Employability: employers look for people who take initiative, solve problems and work well with others.
- Income: tutoring, lessons or a summer service can earn money and teach you how to manage it.
- Networks: selling ads or running events puts you in touch with business owners, organizers and mentors.
- Career clarity: trying different roles shows you what you enjoy and what you are good at.
- Contribution: enterprising projects such as fundraisers improve your school and community.