Entrepreneur or self employed?

There's a comment on an earlier post asking if a 'massage therapist' is an entrepreneur. Let's see. She recognizes an opportunity ('hot stone massage' in snowy ski resort buried in an avalanche of sports massage experts), organizes resources (gets trained, rents a place,advertises on Craigslist, gets a table - not to mention new age music and aromatherapy candles), operates the resources and delivers what her customers want (or loses them). And wakes up everyday knowing she could wipe-out (maybe ski-towners prefer sports massage after all), but she's willing to assume the risk. Is she self-employed? Yes. Is she an entrepreneur? Why not?

Of course, few would question that she's an entrepreneur if she raised money, opened a spa, hired other massage therapists, offered online reservations and product sales on her website, and talked about going national in three years. Is it because it is a service not a product? I don't think so. At least not any more, when service businesses are hot (outsourcing anyone?). Must be a matter of scale. A single practioner? Self-employed. An entity of two or more? Conventional thinking wouldn't have trouble with the entrepreneur label then.

The basic definition of entrepreneurship often gets forgotten, and I see it here in Silicon Valley where for some folks if it's not tech, it is dreck (but I could also see them assuming the fetal position under their desks if all the massage therapists left en-masse). Thankfully it's not so for everyone, and perceptions are changing. More and more people are recognizing different opportunties for entrepreneurship, mainly because they want to do what feels right to them (what motivates an entrepreneur - another topic) and they're realizing it's just a very, very big tent.