We’ve hit a weird moment where everyone with a logo, a landing page, and a clever LinkedIn bio suddenly calls themselves an “entrepreneur.”
I get it — it sounds sexier than “freelancer” or “consultant.” It’s better cocktail talk than “employee.” But let’s be real:
Entrepreneurship isn’t a marketing identity. It’s a grind. A risk. A full-contact sport.
This isn’t a knock on people who aren’t entrepreneurs. This is a wake-up call for those pretending to be.
You might be an entrepreneur. You might not be. Both are fine.
But let’s stop cheapening the word to fit a trend, a title, or a midlife reinvention fantasy.
What’s not okay?
Calling yourself something you haven’t actually earned.
What Entrepreneurship Actually Looks Like
When I started Team Baby Entertainment in 2004:
- I raised $200,000 from friends.
- I mortgaged my house.
- I took zero salary.
- I sold DVDs out of the trunk of my car.
- I was the founder, the CEO, and the guy who took out the trash.
- I worked out of a back room in a friend’s MRI facility.
- My desk was a table on top of milk crates.
- The power flickered every time the MRI machine ran.
That was my office. That was my life.
Michael Eisner — yes, that Michael Eisner — came to meet me there. We talked for two hours in that tiny, buzzing, flickering room. I was embarrassed.
He wasn’t.
He said, “This is what I love — seeing real entrepreneurs risking it all, being resourceful, self-reliant, and all-in.”
Then he said something I’ll never forget:
“I’m not an entrepreneur.”
This from the former CEO of Disney. A billionaire. And even he drew a line.
Because he knew the difference.
The Difference Matters
After I sold Team Baby, I joined an insurance firm.
I didn’t own the company. I didn’t handle payroll or benefits. I didn’t build it from scratch. I worked hard. I grew the business. I thought like an entrepreneur.
But I wasn’t the entrepreneur. And when the company sold, I was compensated accordingly — behind the guys who built it.
As it should be.
And This Is Where I Get Pissed Off
When midlife men — or former CEOs — rebrand themselves as “entrepreneurs” without the receipts, it’s a slap in the face.
It’s insulting to those of us who:
- Made payroll from our personal savings
- Risked our homes
- Stayed up all night worrying if this thing would survive
- Actually built something real from nothing
Success isn’t the same as ownership. Strategy isn’t the same as sacrifice.
Stop wearing the badge if you didn’t earn it.
Let’s Be Clear
If you want to call yourself an entrepreneur, then at some point you need to have:
- Built something from scratch
2. Risked your own money
3. Gone without a salary
4. Funded payroll with personal funds
5. Worried yourself sick at 2 AM
6. Done every job — from CEO to janitor
7. Created something that wouldn’t exist without you
If that’s not your story?
That’s fine. You’re a guy with a job. Or a guy figuring it out. But you’re not an entrepreneur.
Remember, there’s power in clarity.
And there’s real value in knowing who you are — and who you’re not.
In Health,
Greg
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Greg Scheinman
Founder, Midlife Male
52. Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. Coach
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