Stolen Pride: The Myth of Entrepreneurship vs. the B2B Model

The article analyzes the problem of apparent entrepreneurship in the Polish labor market, where self-employment is often not the choice of a free artisan, but a form of hidden subordination. The author points to the mechanism of 'stolen pride,' in which the ethos of the independent entrepreneur masks the lack of statutory protection, leave, and social security. In reality, many people on B2B contracts function as salaried employees but without the rights entitled to them, bearing full operational and financial risk. The text emphasizes the contrast between genuine business activity and the 'business to defenseless' model, in which the individual becomes institutionally lonely and their economic dependence is hidden behind a formal invoice, leading to the erosion of the dignity of work.