Business builders have a firm resolve to build something in addition to their salary; something with enduring value that can one day operate independently from the founder. The effort is considerably different than stringing together a healthy income from a series of consulting gigs.

The key difference between business builders and entrepreneurial freelancers is their view of how to maximize their working time and energy. Business builders do this in a deliberate way. They reason they can work 8 to 10 hours a day for someone else to generate one source of income -- a salary. Or they can work 8 to 10 hours a day on their own business with the goal of generating two sources of cash -- a salary plus a bonus payoff when they sell their company.

Does this difference in long-term objectives really matter? Absolutely! Take two successful product design engineers who leave the corporate world to start their own company. While equipped with the same general business skills and creative talent, one engineer focuses on what consulting services and projects will maintain personal income; the other focuses on what consulting services and projects will build the firm's "transaction value." As a result, they make decisions differently, they approach and select customers differently and they hire support staff differently. With each passing year, the engineer who is focused on business building will invariably have the bigger business simply because the business is less dependent on the founder's own daily work product for survival. This firm is more opportunistic about product and service diversification, developing alternative streams of income, securing intellectual property, adding talent and evaluating joint venture options. And here is the added kicker -- this business builder is also more likely to appeal to outside investors and bank lenders to take the firm to an even higher level.

Business builders work very much like farmers: they plant and sow their seeds for a lucrative harvest. So what constitutes a good harvest? What is an achievable goal for start up entrepreneurs? What should the target sale price be? One benchmark, though some financial investors may advance a higher number, is to steadily build the value of a business and one day sell it for no less than six to eight times what you and any equity investors put into the company.

If you are not passionate about selling all or a portion of your business, be it a bakery, a software development company, a mortgage brokerage or a PR firm, at a sweet profit, even if it is years down the road, then polish your resume and get a salaried job! Your expectations are too low to make an entrepreneurial career really work for you. The considerable risks you are taking must be balanced by your expectations for a generous reward. Think about what someone might want to buy and pay a premium for someday from you -- a customer list, a patent, a product with protected distribution, ongoing customer contracts that kick off nifty cash flow, a brand that is recognized in the marketplace, a proprietary solution or product family, a recipe, etc.

The attitude and actions of effective business builders say, "My business life is not all about me.....It's not about how well I am doing, it's about how well my business is doing." These business builders get it. They have the potential to achieve the entrepreneurial American Dream. So do you, provided you build to sell.