The Entrepreneurial Litmus Test

How Early Career Roles Can Guide Your True Calling

We live in an age where entrepreneurial education is everywhere. Universities launch innovation programs (guilty), accelerators are everywhere, and social media overflows with success stories. Yet for every Rich Paul who built a sports empire from scratch, every Lisa Price who transformed kitchen experiments into a beauty dynasty, or every Michael Rubin who turned childhood hustle into billion-dollar ventures, countless others discover the entrepreneurial path isn't their calling—and that's perfectly fine.

Here’s the truth: Not everyone is meant to be a founder. The world needs brilliant intrapreneurs, visionary employees (Jony Ive), and dedicated specialists as much as it needs founders. The challenge for many students is discerning their path. You might feel the pull of entrepreneurship, the allure of building something from nothing, but question if you have the right stuff.

I’ve noticed a pattern: There are three early jobs that teach the essential skills every entrepreneur needs. If you’re considering entrepreneurship, look at these roles. You’ll learn more about yourself—and about the realities of building something from scratch—than any textbook could teach.

1. Waiter or Catering Hall Staff: The School of Service and Empathy

I started my own journey as a waiter. It was humbling, eye-opening, and—looking back—one of the best entrepreneurial educations I ever received.

Serving others teaches you empathy. You quickly learn how people treat those in service roles—sometimes with kindness, sometimes with indifference. You experience firsthand the importance of basic human respect. In entrepreneurship, you’re always in the business of serving others: your customers, your team, your partners. The humility and empathy you develop as a waiter are the same qualities that build enduring businesses.

2. Commission-Based Sales: The Art of the Hunt

There’s a saying: “If you don’t hunt, you don’t eat.” In a commission-based job, that’s not just a metaphor—it’s reality.

Unlike hourly roles where your paycheck is guaranteed, commission jobs reward effort, persistence, and results. Whether you’re selling sneakers at the mall or closing deals for a startup, you learn to take initiative, handle rejection, and keep your energy high. Entrepreneurship is a commission-based game. No one pays you just for showing up. You have to close the deal, every day.

3. Petition Canvasser: Building Resilience to “No”

Ever seen someone on the street asking strangers to sign a petition? It’s one of the toughest gigs out there. For every hundred people who pass by, maybe five will stop—and even fewer will sign.

This job teaches you to get comfortable with “no.” You develop resilience, short-term memory, and the ability to keep going despite constant rejection. Entrepreneurs hear “no” all the time—from investors, customers, even friends. What matters is not the rejection, but your ability to keep moving forward.

The Verdict

These three jobs function as entrepreneurial diagnostic tools. They reveal whether you have the service orientation, the hunter's instinct, and the resilience that entrepreneurship demands.

If you find yourself energized by serving others, motivated by performance-based rewards, and undeterred by frequent rejection, you might have the entrepreneurial DNA. If these experiences drain you, frustrate you, or feel fundamentally misaligned with your nature, you've learned something equally valuable: entrepreneurship may not be your path, and that's perfectly acceptable.

The most successful economies need both entrepreneurs and employees, both risk-takers and stability-seekers. The goal isn't to convince everyone to start a company—it's to help people discover where they can make their greatest contribution.

Before you invest years and resources into building a business, invest a few months in these proving grounds. The insights you gain will either confirm your entrepreneurial calling or redirect you toward a path that better suits your strengths and temperament.

Either way, you'll emerge with a deeper understanding of human nature, personal resilience, and the real skills that drive success in any endeavor.

What early job taught you the most about business or yourself? Share your story in the comments—let’s inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs together.