A Letter to Entrepreneurs, From Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein

A thank you from me to entrepreneurs for the resiliency they've shown during this time.

I have spent my life admiring entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs who built massive companies, and entrepreneurs who built small businesses with a lot of meaning.

My grandfather became one in the 50s, as a new immigrant to Canada. His reason was survival.

When my grandmother turned 60, she became an entrepreneur for self-reliance.

My grandfather's egg stand in Montréal, Quebec.

And my moment came in 2001, when I started supporting myself as a student. My reason for becoming an entrepreneur was equal parts passion and necessity.

I’ve always felt that entrepreneurship is a profound way to build something of value, And when things are rough, like they are right now, it’s a way to survive. Maybe even thrive.

Some have accused me of being entrepreneur obsessed. And maybe that’s true. 

It’s been a decade since I joined a scrappy startup called Shopify and committed my life to helping entrepreneurs globally.

Mopping the floors at the Shopify office in 2010.

In my first few weeks at Shopify, when we had about a couple thousand merchants, I remember thinking that one day we might help our one-millionth entrepreneur.

A few months ago, that happened.

Our entire company exists for one reason: to make commerce better for everyone. The way we do this: supporting entrepreneurs in everything we do. I want to play you something that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. It’s a call to our support team from a merchant. They’re a farmer in the US hit really hard by the pandemic.

We’re with you on this journey every step of the way. All day, everyday 💚 pic.twitter.com/RI5oxx5iBo

— Shopify (@Shopify) May 8, 2020

For me, this is an emotional reminder of how Shopify can bridge the gap between a family business that fails, and one that survives. This is why we’re here. This is why we’re all here. And that farmer? She’s going to keep feeding her family and community because we were here. She’s gonna do great. The world looks a hell of a lot better with businesses like hers thriving.

There are so many wonderful things about starting a business… but there is one major downside.

It can be lonely. It can be isolating. And it’s not always clear who to turn to for help or advice.

Enter all of you. All of us.

We’re each on our own journeys, in our own corners of the world, seeking our own versions of success and independence.

Right now, we may be physically distant, but we are not alone. 

Together, we are the strongest collective of entrepreneurs on the planet. Community over everything.

Many of you have heard me say: we want to arm the rebels, we want to make sure entrepreneurs have everything they need to succeed—this was our objective from the start. And it’s more important now than it’s ever been.

We’ve been thrown a challenge unlike any we’ve seen before. But we’ve shown that it won’t break us. We are not fragile. We are resilient. It’s time for us to step up, to reach out, to build, and work, and push. This is our moment. Right now. Right. Fucking. Now.  

To our merchants, to our partners, and to anyone who ever bought anything from a Shopify store—thank you.

The future of commerce is here. And we are that future, together.

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Entrepreneurs FAQ

What is an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is a person who starts and runs a new business, taking on financial risk in pursuit of profit and growth. The role differs from simply being skilled at a craft: the job of the entrepreneur is totally different from the job of the expert. Success depends less on having a great idea than on execution, decision-making, and taking full responsibility for outcomes.

What qualities help entrepreneurs succeed?

Grit, adaptability, and persistence matter more for entrepreneurs than raw talent or having a flawless idea from day one. People management and leadership also play a central role, since most ventures require building and guiding a team through setbacks. Entrepreneurs who treat early failures as feedback rather than a stopping point tend to adjust their approach faster and keep moving toward a working business model.

How is entrepreneurship different from having a traditional job?

Entrepreneurship means taking on responsibilities far beyond the original skill or craft that inspired the business. A traditional job usually asks for expertise in one area, while running a business asks entrepreneurs to handle staffing, finances, and strategy all at once. Someone can be excellent at their trade and still need to learn the separate skill set of managing a company around it.

How can entrepreneurs deal with the isolation of running a business?

Connecting with other business owners through peer groups, mastermind communities, or online forums helps entrepreneurs offset the isolation of building something alone. Regularly sharing challenges and wins with a community of founders can replace the camaraderie normally found in a traditional workplace. Mentorship relationships and local industry meetups add another layer of built-in support when there's no team down the hall to turn to.

Why do people choose entrepreneurship over stable employment?

People pursue entrepreneurship for autonomy over their time and decisions, plus the chance to keep the value they create instead of trading hours for a fixed paycheck. Running a business lets someone set their own schedule, choose their team, and profit directly from their effort. Those same freedoms come paired with full responsibility for outcomes, so the tradeoff is more control in exchange for more risk.