from my notebook...

Jun 16, 2010

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Jake

14 years ago

Love it!

Joann Sondy

14 years ago

Interesting that you make that conclusion. I tend to think of the man more as a teacher.

What financial risks did he take?
What profit/loss did he incur in a business deal?

Brad Garland

14 years ago

His life?

Jeff Fulcher

14 years ago

Isn’t that what a lot of social entrepreneurs are Joann? They teach their clients to do their product better…

Jesus’ product was simply a relationship with God and eternal life.

But even more than that, isn’t an entrepreneur someone who sacrifices the easy way (a cubicle job, being a carpenter, etc.) to stake out on his own? Sometimes you can see that as a financial risk – it is “easier and safer” to keep your desk job rather than go try to start a your own thing. I think most entrepreneurs go do their own thing because of their passion as much as they do it to make money.

Hugh, I just found your blog the other day and have been blown away almost every time I come by. This is one of my favorite insights yet.

Editor

Hugh MacLeod

14 years ago

Reply to Jeff Fulcher

@, Thanks for the kind words 🙂

PS I totally concur with your reply to Joann (although she was kind and right to ask)… I’ve been an entrepreneur for a while now. Not once have I defined myself in terms of financial risk or profit/loss. Those are just basic mechanics… the scorecard, not the actual game itself.

Profit? Loss? All my businesses I’ve started were pretty much profitable from Day One… setting them up cost no more than it would cost your average working schmoe to go to Vegas for the weekend. One of the benefits of being a cheap, tight, Scottish bastard 😉

William Sutton

14 years ago

He gave himself as a ransom for the world.–His business was to seek and to save that which was lost….
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his
blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing.
Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto
Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.

Tim harrap

14 years ago

Carpenters don’t take risk? When was the last time you cut a mortice & tenon Jeff?

Patrick Brinksma

14 years ago

I agree. Jesus was an entrepreneur. But that does not mean that everyone calling him/herself an entrepreneur is as enlightened as Jesus was.

🙂

Alice Bachini-Smith

14 years ago

Oh yeah, and there are still plenty of self-employed professional religious gurus out there, not all of them necessarily improving the world. I’m reading a brilliant book called “Under the Banner of Heaven” right now. Nasty stuff.

Um, sorry for being a downer on your blog, Hugh 🙂

JohnO

14 years ago

Its wrong to interpret Jesus in the regime of business. The goal here is to interpret the regime of business in terms of Jesus.

It’s incredibly anachronistic. But the true definition of an entrepreneur. All others are false Messiahs.

Kevin Marks

14 years ago

Hm, I’d say Paul was the entrepreneur…

Martijn Linssen

14 years ago

Absolutely Hugh! And boy would he turn around in his grave if he knew the mes they made of his legacy – but that’s just history

He was original, not afraid to be an individual, kicked the group’s shins, redefined the meaning of sins, he had a clear vision and roadmap of the near and medium-term future, and knew exactly where his market and strength was: nurture

And he treated everyone around him as an equal. He’d kick ass at e.g. the #e2conf now, among others

http://www.martijnlinssen.com/p/gospel-of-thomas.html

Jamie R. Blalack

14 years ago

Dear Hugh~
Your words made my heart leap.
I concur ~
Though actually
JESUS IS KING
and
KING OF KINGS at that.

You have inspired me in many ways and I appreciate your attitude.

I am a rich and famous artist (yet to be discovered or paid). I first discovered you by quotes posted from your “How to be Creative” book on http://www.quotationspage.com.

I have spent the last 2 days studying your work and website, and today subscribed to your Newsletter.

It is nice to virtually meet you
Jam

Harl Delos

14 years ago

Tim Harrup should note that Jesus was NOT known to be a carpenter (although his mother’s husband was.)

An entrepreneur is a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

Jesus was a community organizer, recruiting members for the Society of the Poor at Kumran and raising funds for their support. The Poor were a group devoted to overthrowing the Roman rule and restoring the Jewish faith. They failed, but that doesn’t mean that Jesus was not an entrepreneur. It’s just that the enterprise failed after Jesus died.

Paul was also an entrepreneur, in a couple of ways. First of all, his family made tents for the Roman military. Second of all, he created a religion that was considerably different than the Judaism that Jesus practiced (which was why he was recalled to Jerusalem multiple times, each time given a severe beating for blasphemy, the punishment for which was one stroke short of death.)

(Anyone who thinks Jesus died in order to give mankind everlasting life needs to read the book of Daniel, and find that yes, it was possible to gain everlasting life before Jesus lived.)

But the real question perhaps ought to be, since YOU are a child of God, why aren’t you an entrepreneur, too?

DJ Coffman

14 years ago

Jesus was also one of the first people to teach the principles of the law of attraction, which are pretty amazing when applied to business

raimundodiaz

14 years ago

The big entrepeneurs came later…but there were a lot of his contemporaries that practiced the biz too.

Nigel James

14 years ago

Who do men say that I am?

I’d like to think he has moved into the VC business.

Cheers,
Nigel

nakedpastor

14 years ago

If we take the wikipedia definition of entrepreneur: “is a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome”, it really has nothing to do with money but with something new that the person is passionate about and willing to put everything on the line for. Thanks for the peek into your notebook Hugh.