Part 1: What is Entrepreneurship? Really

Most tradespeople who start a business don’t think of themselves as entrepreneurs — at least not at first. They’re electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters. They’re good at what they do, and at some point they decide they’d rather work for themselves than for someone else. That decision is the beginning of something bigger than a job change.

Entrepreneurship in the trades is real, practical, and within reach. But it requires more than technical skill. Running a business means taking responsibility for finding customers, managing money, hiring people, setting prices, and planning for the future. The work that used to be someone else’s problem becomes yours.

This part of the book asks a foundational question: what does it actually mean to be an entrepreneur in the trades? The chapters that follow explore the mindset, the risks, and the rewards — and help you figure out whether this path is right for you, and what it will take to make it work.