Builders vs. Artists | Opportunities vs. Passions | Entrepreneurs

Perry Marshall explained to me that there are two types of entrepreneurs, Builders and Artists.

Builders see an opportunity and build a business around it, while Artists build their business around their passions.

There is nothing inherently wrong with either mindset, but this description helped me understand my motivations in a different light.

I’m an Artist entrepreneur.  My passion is helping business owners. I understand now why, while I would see plenty of opportunities, most of them just didn’t interest me.  We entrepreneurs are wired to see things differently, as they could or should be, not as they are. So understanding that if an opportunity didn’t fit my passion, then I would need to pass, because in the end I would fail.

I have three amazing adult children, one of which is a full-time artist (shameful plug @madamemack) and watching her grow her business has given me some amazing insight. When she first started her business, I approached it from my experience and asked her questions to try and help her. I remember her frustrated, saying “I just want to paint what I like.” 

You see the immediate problem with that, right? That’s fine if she paints what she wants, but that doesn’t mean anyone will buy it!  BUT she is following her passion.

Her passion doesn’t guarantee success, but without following her passion, she will most certainly fail.

Creative entrepreneurs sometimes get a bad rap, not really understanding “business.”  It may be true that they have less of an analytical mind, but it is patently incorrect to say that they can’t understand business.  Certain aspects of business, like numbers, can be challenging, but they make up for it in other ways, such as having a keen understanding of their customers.

So, what to do? I believe that all people should lean into their strengths and find support for their weaknesses. Why bother trying to spend energy improving what really can’t be improved, when that energy invested in your strength yields so much more? 

One caveat here, you have to have a basic understanding of ALL of the aspects of your business.  Just because it is difficult for you, doesn’t mean that you can ignore it.  You have to KNOW ENOUGH, otherwise you’re going to get blindsided.

Builders will need different help than Artists, but we all need help!