---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is entrepreneurship, after all?…"
description: "\"What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells a hot dog on t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png"
---

#  What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the…

![“What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells a hot dog on the street is as much an entrepreneur as anyone else. Getting his $50 loan to start could be as difficult as finding $50 million for someone else…” quote by Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png)

> “What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells a hot dog on the street is as much an entrepreneur as anyone else. Getting his $50 loan to start could be as difficult as finding $50 million for someone else. All people are entrepreneurs.”

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Entrepreneurship is defined by taking initiative and solving problems, not by scale or wealth; anyone who creates value, even on a small scale, embodies entrepreneurial spirit.

**In simple terms:** Entrepreneurship is about initiative, not size.

Key Takeaway

Small‑scale value creation counts as entrepreneurship.

Themes

initiative value creation inclusion resourcefulness social impact

Mood

inspirational empowering

Type

aphor observation

When to use this quote

- starting a street‑food stall
- securing a micro‑loan
- launching a community service
- creating a low‑cost product
- solving a local need

Key Concepts

risk‑taking problem‑solving

Practical Applications

- micro‑enterprise development
- financial inclusion programs

Questions to Reflect On

- What barriers prevent small creators from being recognized as entrepreneurs?
- How can policy support everyday innovators?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Entrepreneur Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur-getting-342952/) [Entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurs/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Entrepreneurship Bigness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship-bigness-342950/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot/) [Hot dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot-dog/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Loan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loan/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-entrepreneurs-342951/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/)

## Related quotes

> [All people are entrepreneurs, but many don't have the opportunity to find that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/all-people-are-entrepreneurs-but-many-don-t-have-the-opportunity-to/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [Eventually that's where you want to be really scrappy as an entrepreneur when you're first getting your business up and running: hiring the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-maybank/eventually-that-s-where-you-want-to-be-really-scrappy-as-an/)

[Alexis Maybank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-maybank/)

> [My best friend Jerry started a boat-washing business, and it was one of the most critical experiences of my life. I got to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/my-best-friend-jerry-started-a-boat-washing-business-and-it-was-one/)

[Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/)

> [I want people to be entrepreneurs, but I want them to do it for the right reasons, because they think they can change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/i-want-people-to-be-entrepreneurs-but-i-want-them-to-do-it-for-the/)

[Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/)

> [I like to encourage people who are entrepreneurs-in-waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-bredesen/i-like-to-encourage-people-who-are-entrepreneurs-in-waiting/)

[Phil Bredesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-bredesen/)

> [Young people are the entrepreneurs of the future, and we should be looking to them as one of our sources of innovation for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-paphitis/young-people-are-the-entrepreneurs-of-the-future-and-we-should-be/)

[Theo Paphitis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-paphitis/)

> [Brandon McCaw and Chris Haderfield says, How many business people are entrepreneurs in the U.S.? Go to their website on www.65.bbb.62,86.com.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/brandon-mccaw-and-chris-haderfield-says-how-many-business-people-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The government itself cannot create jobs. Jobs are created by business people and entrepreneurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-marino/the-government-itself-cannot-create-jobs-jobs-are-created-by-business/)

[Tom Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-marino/)

> [The most interesting people to me are entrepreneurs. As someone who's owned my own business for over a decade, I am always so inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/the-most-interesting-people-to-me-are-entrepreneurs-as-someone-who-s/)

[Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/)

> [I hate it when people call themselves 'entrepreneurs' when what they're really trying to do is launch a startup and then sell of go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-hate-it-when-people-call-themselves-entrepreneurs-when-what-they-re/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [In the information age, the richest people are entrepreneurs. We may not become a king or queen, but we can all be entrepreneurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/in-the-information-age-the-richest-people-are-entrepreneurs-we-may/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [When the market turns down, a lot of people lose jobs... and that's the time people become entrepreneurs. Downturns end up being the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-lutke/when-the-market-turns-down-a-lot-of-people-lose-jobs-and-that-s-the/)

[Tobias Lutke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-lutke/)

> [Business leaders regularly complain that young people don't leave school with the right skills. Encouraging young people to be entrepreneurs makes the connection between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-mcgovern/business-leaders-regularly-complain-that-young-people-don-t-leave/)

[Steph McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-mcgovern/)

> [All people, entrepreneurs as well as non-entrepreneurs, look askance upon any profits earned by other people. Envy is a common weakness of men. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/all-people-entrepreneurs-as-well-as-non-entrepreneurs-look-askance/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Student loan debt is the reason I don't advise students who want to become entrepreneurs to apply to elite, expensive colleges. They can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/student-loan-debt-is-the-reason-i-don-t-advise-students-who-want-to/)

[Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/)

## More by Muhammad Yunus

> [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [All human beings are very creative - full of potential, full of energy... So, money kind of allows them to express it... And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/all-human-beings-are-very-creative-full-of-potential-full-of-energy/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [Credit markets were originally created to serve human needs; to provide businesses and individuals with capital to start or expand businesses or fulfill other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/credit-markets-were-originally-created-to-serve-human-needs-to/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [We have a list of human rights - right to food, right to shelter, right to health, right to education, many such items which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/we-have-a-list-of-human-rights-right-to-food-right-to-shelter-right/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [If we are looking for one single action which will enable the poor to overcome their poverty, I would go for credit. Money is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/if-we-are-looking-for-one-single-action-which-will-enable-the-poor-to/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [What we are trying to do is to create a social business in Bangladesh, a joint venture to create restaurants for common people. Good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-we-are-trying-to-do-is-to-create-a-social-business-in-bangladesh/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [There is the expression of selfishness and there is the expression of selflessness - but economists or theoreticians never touched that part. They said:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/there-is-the-expression-of-selfishness-and-there-is-the-expression-of/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [I did something that challenged the banking world. Conventional banks look for the rich; we look for the absolutely poor. All people are entrepreneurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-did-something-that-challenged-the-banking-world-conventional-banks/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [Poverty is an artificial, external imposition on a human being; it is not innate in a human being. And since it is external, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/poverty-is-an-artificial-external-imposition-on-a-human-being-it-is/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [I made a list of people who needed just a little bit of money. And when the list was complete, there were 42 names.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-made-a-list-of-people-who-needed-just-a-little-bit-of-money-and/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [I dismiss personal profit and focus exclusively on people and planet. That's what I call social business: a nondividend company dedicated to solving human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-dismiss-personal-profit-and-focus-exclusively-on-people-and-planet/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [I have come to believe, deeply and firmly, that we can create a poverty free world if we want to. I came to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-have-come-to-believe-deeply-and-firmly-that-we-can-create-a-poverty/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [The crisis is the price for the capitalist system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/the-crisis-is-the-price-for-the-capitalist-system/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [I was teaching in one of the universities while the country was suffering from a severe famine. People were dying of hunger, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-was-teaching-in-one-of-the-universities-while-the-country-was/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [When we want to help the poor, we usually offer them charity. Most often we use charity to avoid recognizing the problem and finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/when-we-want-to-help-the-poor-we-usually-offer-them-charity-most/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

[Explore all 182 Muhammad Yunus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells a hot dog on the street is as much an entrepreneur as anyone else. Getting his $50 loan to start could be as difficult as finding $50 million for someone else. All people are entrepreneurs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Muhammad Yunus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/muhammad-yunus-2158_business_what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigne_8624.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges…” — Muhammad Yunus",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Muhammad Yunus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
