It seems like everyone’s an entrepreneur these days.  What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?  I don’t care.  But I have noticed that I’ve gone through various levels of entrepreneuriness.  I call them levels since they’re more like achievements rather than required stages in development.

Level 1 – Nothing
I was comfortable working for The Man and spent my leisure time playing the role of Obedient Consumer.  I was content with punching in/punching out and then consuming shit.  Ahh, life was bliss!  Why worry when you can buy shit and be merry?!

Level 2 – Dreaming
The Man was becoming a drag and as an Obedient Consumer, I started desiring even more bigger shit to consume.  I began to think, “Hey I can do and buy more than this!”, and start telling myself and my friends, “If I only had an idea!”

Level 3 – Ideaing
And just like that, a superfantastic idea smacks me in the head.  I immediately get to work on a business plan with grand schemes of ruling the world with the assumption that people will fall over each other trying to hand me $20 million in funding.  I start telling everyone and their moms, “Dude, I have this awesome idea*!”

Level 4 – Executing
Having quickly learned than a business plan with an idea attached to it is meaningless, I take a new approach – build first, then ask for money (”Brilliant!” – Jung Lee).  With a new, more plausible idea, I strapped on my boots and put together a functional prototype and a working team.  In person I proudly claim, “I’m bootstrapping right now” but in my mind I continue “So can you please spare some change?”

From here on, I can only recount the fairy tales and legends, that have been passed on through generations of bloggers, of the few that reached the next levels of entrepreneuriness.

Level 5 – Funding (optional)
Through sheer will and determination and/or just knowing the right people, you’ve managed to score capital.  Not because the idea was frickin amazing but more likely because you’ve accumulated enough experience points/revenues to be taken seriously.  Great job…but you’re not out of the woods just yet.  Keep truckin baby!

Oh but if you can skip this level entirely, well what do you want, a cookie?!  But seriously dude/tte, that’s awesome!

Level 6 – Exiting
Congratulations.  You’ve been acquired or somehow frickin IPO’d.  Great success…ya bastard!  And I say that seething with envy.  The next option seems to be to go straight to Level 7 or go back to one of the previous levels to start over.  But at this point, I don’t really give a crap.

Level 7 – Investing
Who’s in control now, yatch?!  Yeah son, that’s right.

So yeah, I don’t really know what goes on in the brain during Level 7.  I mean, I know.  But I don’t know.

The end.

*seescout.com – World of Warcraft meets Google Maps. Control an avatar in a 3D version of Google Maps. Explore NY, interact with businesses, take on side-quests and compete with your friends.  Advertising, casual games and virtual currency, how could you go wrong?!

Update: Made Level 5 optional…cuz really, who needs it?! (Thanks Jason)