Can you be an entrepreneur AND work for someone else?

Running your own business isn’t the only way to express an entrepreneurial spirit. Meaning, I believe you can still consider yourself an entrepreneur if you are an employee at another company.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, as I went “all-in” on Katie Goldberg Nutrition, only to realize that I wasn’t quite able to bring in enough money to justify the childcare. I pursued other jobs, but have had a lingering feeling of failure or disappointment in the back of my head. Did I give up too quickly? Did I dive in too quickly? Am I simply not cut out to be an entrepreneur?

And then, the internet gifted me with this…

Howard Stevenson, a longtime professor at Harvard Business School crafted his own definition of entrepreneurship, which is used by the business school and is one of the most thoughtful and inspiring definitions I’ve read: 

“Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled.” 

What does this really mean? An entrepreneur is anyone who sees an opportunity and decides to pursue it, independent of the resources currently at their disposal. They see potential, what could be, and find a way to make it happen even if they don’t have everything they need right now. They take a risk, but doing so helps develop innovative new products, build better organizations, and keep our companies and the economy healthy.

With this definition, entrepreneurship becomes a mindset rather than simply the stereotypical driven, risk-addicted, type-A serial business-starter.

That spoke to me. After all, no one understands taking risks without the resources currently at their disposal than moms, right? Heck, all of parenting is one big leap of faith, knowing for sure we’re not as resourced as we’d like for the task at hand 🙂

When I went back to grad school to become a dietitian, I discovered I loved pretty much everything about the profession. I wanted to specialize in “everything”. Some call this indecisive. I prefer the term multi-passionate 🙂 I was encouraged that the more I spoke with dietitians, the more I saw their careers were crafted in the pursuit of whatever opportunities presented themselves. Sometimes it was a full-time job, but sometimes it was a side project that grew into a legit income stream. This got me excited.

Today, I am lucky to live out my multi-passionate dreams as a dietitian in three truly distinct ways. 

First, I am an employee of the Cooper Clinic, a renown wellness and research institute here in Dallas. I empower busy executives from around the country to take preventive action for their health and longevity. They participate in a full-day physical and – in light of the results – we discuss how their diet can support their goals, or slow down or prevent disease progression.

I am also a contractor with Fleishman Hillard as a nutrition communications specialist. I help brands tell their credible nutrition story, and position themselves in the marketplace for consumers who are looking to make the best choices for their families. It’s a role where I get to be an advocate for both consumers and for food companies. I love it.

Last – but certainly not least – I help pregnant and postpartum moms reduce the overwhelm and find peace and the chaos of #momlife through one-on-one counseling. I’m also currently developing an online course curriculum for down the road.

The reality is that each week, I get to embrace all the different things I love about being a dietitian. I am creating the career that I want, with people and projects I’m passionate about, with boundaries my family can live with. 

This is perhaps a very long way of sharing that I’m letting go of some of the labels in 2020. I’m choosing not to worry if I’m “entrepreneur enough”. I’m figuring out what it means to be the most ME I can be. It is unbelievably freeing.”

This is perhaps a very long way of sharing that I’m letting go of some of the labels in 2020. I’m choosing not to worry if I’m “entrepreneur enough”. I’m figuring out what it means to be the most ME I can be. It is unbelievably freeing.

I see this all the time with my clients and food choices. They think they want rules, guardrails, labels, restrictions to guide their food choices. But when they let go of those rules, they find so much freedom. They reduce their stress, enjoy their food more and end up healthier than they were before.

Whether it’s about your career, mom life or your health – what labels do you need to let go of in 2020?