What Does an Entrepreneur Do?

From highlighting your brand on center stage to helping others skip lessons you’ve learned, here are 12 answers to the question, “What do you think are the most important jobs of the entrepreneur?”

• Selling the Brand
• EATing Your Business
• Guiding and Mentoring Junior Entrepreneurs
• Cultivating Repeat Business Through Relationship Management
• Finding Growth Opportunities 
• Coordinating Different Teams
• Empowering People and Raising Awareness
• Staying Mission Minded
• Leading by Example
• Ensuring Quality
• Managing Time
• Helping People Solve Problems I Once Had

Selling the Brand

How do we get new clients? How do we recruit the best candidates? How do we get more people to recognize and appreciate our brand? We do that by effectively selling it. And that remains one of the most important jobs that any entrepreneur can have. 

This is an extreme example, but everyone remembers the launch of the iPhone almost 15 years ago based on how effectively it was pitched on stage (and in front of the cameras) by the man at the helm of Apple. 

Granted, you’re not always going to have such a big stage to tout yourself and your brand, but you’d better learn to shine on whatever stage you have at your disposal because it’s your job to make your company an attractive one, whether to investors, clients, or candidates. It’s perhaps the most vital job you have as an entrepreneur.

Brittany Dolin, Co-Founder, Pocketbook Agency

EATing Your Business

As a business of one, my most important job is establishing my EAT—Expertise, Authority, and Trust. This helps clients learn more about what I do and how I can help them. Without this trifecta, entrepreneurs struggle to gain buy-in to their ideas and grow a profitable business. 

Having strong EAT qualities helps remove some risks of doing business with you. It tells others why you’re qualified to do what you do, how much you know about a particular subject, and why others should trust you. Entrepreneurs always have something to prove, so focusing on EAT early in the process can help you earn your audience’s attention and give your ideas staying power.

Alli Hill, Founder and Director, Fleurish Freelance

Guiding and Mentoring Junior Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, my goal is to assist people in making their entrepreneurial dreams a reality. My mission is to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to start a profitable business and achieve financial independence. 

My most important role as an entrepreneur is to guide and mentor others. I believe that having a solid support system is as important as having a great idea or a strong work ethic for entrepreneurship. 

Mentors should work closely with you to help you overcome the obstacles you will encounter along the way and to provide you with the insights and strategies you need to grow your business.

Johannes Larsson, Founder and CEO, JohannesLarsson.com

Cultivating Repeat Business Through Relationship Management

As an entrepreneur, client relationship management is one of the most important things you should focus on. It’s essential to build strong relationships with your clients in order to foster loyalty, trust, and repeat business. 

As a photography business, we feel the client experience is just as important as the end product. At a photoshoot, we want the client to walk in with confidence in our deliverables. We instill that confidence through clear and thorough communication, focusing on solutions, and creating an inviting environment on set. It is always our goal to deliver visual assets that tell the story of our client’s business, but also to create a memorable experience throughout the entire process.

Since we started focusing more on client relationships, we’ve seen an increase in repeat business by 56%, and have expanded our photography services across North America to deliver a unified visual identity for our client’s brands. Repeat business has allowed us to grow at a rapid rate.

Megan Lowdon, Director of Operations, Robert Lowdon Photography

Finding Growth Opportunities 

As an entrepreneur, it is my job to find ways to grow the business, meet with potential investors, find opportunities for collaborations, and even do some PR and marketing to find new clients to help grow the business. 

Finding innovative ideas and processes that help expand the business and tap into new markets is an everyday job that keeps us not only relevant, but constantly growing and successful.

Jenna Nye, CEO, On the Strip

Coordinating Different Teams

As an entrepreneur, my major responsibility is managing and coordinating different teams, ensuring that I align them with our company’s vision and values. This includes hiring the best candidates for each position, setting clear expectations, and providing the resources and training to help them succeed. 

Once my team is in place, I am responsible for monitoring their progress and making any necessary adjustments to ensure that we are on track to meet our goals. This involves regularly analyzing key performance indicators, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing strategies to overcome any obstacles that we encounter.

Luciano Colos, Founder and CEO, PitchGrade

Empowering People and Raising Awareness

As an entrepreneur in the sustainability sector, I believe my most important job is to create awareness about the problem I’m trying to solve with my business and show people it’s possible to be more conscious about our actions. That goes both for individuals and companies—starting that dialogue and giving people concrete ideas empowers them to change their status quo and drive change.

Marta Olszewska, CEO and Co-Founder, Refill Aqua

Staying Mission Minded

My most important job is to deliver on our mission’s promise. Things like profit margins, marketing campaigns, and customer relations management mean nothing if our products don’t do what we say they’ll do for families. 

For that matter, profits plummet when our focus shifts toward it rather than our mission to bring people together with our products. When our company succeeds at delivering on its promise, then I’ve accomplished my most important job as an entrepreneur!

Kenneth Lin, CEO, BOOP Bakery

Leading by Example

As an entrepreneur and CEO, I need to stay informed on the latest industry trends and act as a role model for my team, demonstrating how to manage challenges and embrace change. I try to stay on top of the market by examining data, analyzing trends, and understanding what my customers want. 

I also need to set an example of how to remain agile, resilient, and focused during a time of economic distress. I strive to help my team develop strategies that are built on sustainability and scalability—strategies that will keep our company competitive, no matter what the world throws at us.

Karl Robinson, CEO, Logicata

Ensuring Quality

As an entrepreneur, it is important to ensure that the mission of your business is clear and that everyone in the organization is focused on delivering a quality product. Quality should be at the forefront of every decision you make, from hiring staff to designing products. 

It is essential to have a powerful vision for your business and ensure that all stakeholders understand it and are working toward achieving it. By focusing 100% on quality, you can create a successful business that meets customer needs and stands out from competitors. That’s what my grandfather taught me ages ago in our family business, and that’s what I plan to pass on to the next generation of our family business.

Marc Werner, CEO and Founder, GhostBed

Managing Time

As an entrepreneur, the most important job I do is managing my time. Being a successful entrepreneur requires you to manage your time effectively and efficiently. 

Time management is key in any business endeavor, whether you’re a freelancer or have dozens of employees at your disposal. You need to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency; develop strategies that allow you to make the best use of your calendar; and measure progress against goals in order to stay on track with projects. 

Additionally, entrepreneurs need to plan while staying flexible enough for any unanticipated events. This includes juggling multiple deadlines and keeping up with market changes—all while maximizing profits by finding cost-saving solutions wherever possible.

Oliver Moreno, CEO and Founder, Bright Click

Helping People Solve Problems I Once Had

I started my company based on the challenges I faced as an Amazon seller. No one understands the headaches of inventory management better than someone who’s tested all the methods available without success. 

Our software-as-a-service wasn’t just a solution for consumers, but for ourselves. We designed it with all the features and analytics any e-commerce owner would need to excel at managing their business profitably.

The best products and services aren’t made from theory, but from firsthand experiences. My most important job is enabling others to succeed in the game, just as I did.

Chelsea Cohen, Co-Founder, SoStocked

Related Articles

• What Google Chrome Extensions do Entrepreneurs use?
• What’s your Favorite Quote about Entrepreneurship?
• What Skills Are Needed To Be An Entrepreneur?