The Blog of Lisa Morosky

When you first start out online, it can be real confusing to figure out what you should be calling yourself. “Freelancer” and “entrepreneur” both have different definitions and fundamental differences. But, you can be both a freelancer and an entrepreneur. Let’s see if we can iron out the differences a little bit.

The easiest way to understand something is to define it. Here’s how good ole Merriam-Webster defines each term:

Freelancer: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization; a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer

Entrepreneur: one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise

Does that confuse you? Because it confuses me.

The way I see it, the classification of these two terms comes down to three things: what motivates you, who’s involved, and what you’re selling.

What motivates you?

For freelancers, it’s the lifestyle. Freelancers like the flexibility to work for whoever they want to, whenever they want to, and to hop from one project to the next to keep it exciting. For freelancers, it’s all about having freedom.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are motivated to create a large, lasting, profitable business. Entrepreneurs want to create something powerful, take risks, and leave a legacy.

Who’s involved?

A freelancer is one person who works for many clients.

An entrepreneur may start a small business on their own, but it eventually grows to include more traditional aspects of business (marketing, administration, HR, etc). An entrepreneur’s very nature is to take risks and grow.

What are you selling?

A freelancer is selling themselves. They’re selling their skills and services.

An entrepreneur is selling their business. The bigger they can grow their business, the better.

So where does that leave you?

I consider myself to be both. With my VA business, I’m selling my skills and services and it lets me live the lifestyle I desire. Therefore, I’m a freelancer in that regard.

However, I plan to expand that business, in order to take on more clients, and continue growing. Perhaps I’ll even sell it in the coming years. With my blogging business, I’m totally entrepreneurial. I’m selling my brand, I want to expand, and I’m motivated by it becoming a large, lasting, profitable business.

It depends on your goals I suppose. Don’t feel the need to box yourself into one term or the other. Just understanding the linguistic differences helps to decipher where you stand.