4 Types of Entrepreneurs: How to Know Which Type You Are

Your thoughts, experience, and profession trajectory look to beryllium moving you toward various types of entrepreneurship, yet you wonderment if you’re trim retired for it. True, nan imaginable rewards are great, personally and financially, but nan pitfalls springiness you pause.

You whitethorn already cognize that much than 9 of each 10 caller businesses fail, and you are appropriately sobered by that daunting statistic.

You’re a risk-taker. Your master way grounds indicates a nonstop thrust toward success. You don’t for illustration nan thought of operating successfully wrong an insulated bubble. Instead, you’re each astir uncovering ways to lend to solving real-world problems.

The 4 Primary Types of Entrepreneurs

If that sounds for illustration you, see nan 4 astir communal types of entrepreneurs. Ask yourself immoderate basal questions arsenic you do your research, cod assets, and marshall your talents.

Since nan overwhelming mostly of entrepreneurs will take to go mini business owners, this class will beryllium covered first and successful nan top detail.

1. Small Business Owner/Operator

Far and away, mini business owners/operators are nan astir communal type of entrepreneur. Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) correspond much than 99% of each entrepreneurial enterprises.

This type of opportunity is vastly appealing for galore reasons, though enhanced state consistently ranks adjacent nan top. There’s nary shortage of difficult workers who for illustration to beryllium their ain boss, and SMBs play a important domiciled successful keeping nan system healthy.

Primary Characteristics of nan Successful SMB Owner/Operator

However, being your ain leader is besides thing of a double-edged sword. Being your ain leader intends you are typically your sole root of accountability.

This is nan superior logic “hard worker” should beryllium considered nan No. 1 non-negotiable characteristic earlier considering this arsenic a profession objective. If you’re not a self-starter, deliberation agelong and difficult earlier you statesman investing successful opening a caller business.

Ask Yourself: Am I genuinely a self-starter astatine heart? Do others who cognize maine good work together pinch that self-assessment?

There are respective characteristic tests you tin take, galore of which are free and accessible online. Submitting yourself to nan process tin supply awesome insight.

You will request superior and a business plan, of course. But ever retrieve that nan superior plus you bring to immoderate task is yourself. Every successful endeavor starts pinch astatine slightest 1 tireless, indefatigable champion.

Another valuable trait communal to nan successful SMB entrepreneur is nan expertise to pivot and accommodate to changing conditions.

The past fewer years person provided a difficult instruction regarding what happens erstwhile an contiguous request for elasticity encounters entrenched resistance. The three-month play of February done April 2020 represented nan azygous astir important nonaccomplishment of business owners ever, pinch 3.3 cardinal shuttering their operations.

In nan 21st century, resisting alteration pinch a “We’ve ever done it this way!” cognition conscionable won’t trim it.

Ask Yourself: What is my contiguous consequence erstwhile confronted pinch changes I did not anticipate? Do I thin to get much affectional than analytical?

An instinctive affectional consequence doesn’t preclude you from SMB success. Instead, you are simply trying to go much self-aware and make allowances for immoderate weaknesses you discover.

For example, let’s opportunity you cognize you thin to respond overmuch faster than you respond. Knowing this to beryllium existent astir yourself, you could institute a self-policing argumentation to counteract this tendency. Anytime a determination is required successful nan look of unanticipated circumstances, you simply unit yourself to spell connected a 20-minute locomotion earlier responding.

The last must-have characteristic character for nan would-be mini business entrepreneur is persistence.

Many are acquainted pinch nan celebrated quote of Thomas Edison, who took a very different attack to his deficiency of contiguous success:

“I person not failed. I’ve conscionable recovered 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

As a budding entrepreneur, you will undoubtedly brushwood obstacles and setbacks. Keep your imagination successful mind arsenic you move forward, adjusting expectations arsenic needed.

Ask Yourself: How do I respond to vexation and failure?

Pay attraction not only to what is being said but besides to your affectional consequence to it. Do you get defensive? Do you instantly statesman refuting nan assertions?

2. Agent of Social Change

There’s a batch of liking successful social advocacy. More and much professionals are not contented pinch only earning a bully living.

The saccharine spot is uncovering activity that harnesses your accomplishment group and makes a affirmative contribution. Being driven by a origin much important than oneself helps support nan occurrence stoked erstwhile facing setbacks.

Primary Characteristics of an Entrepreneurial Agent of Change

If you find yourself relentlessly questioning established customs and practices that almost everyone other seems to accept, you conscionable mightiness person what it takes to beryllium a successful supplier of change. This is particularly existent erstwhile long-accepted behaviors travel pinch a trade-off that causes superior downstream problems.

Ask Yourself: What americium I passionate about? What opportunities mightiness location beryllium to effect affirmative alteration and simultaneously make a profit?

Are you alert of immoderate downsides to nan manufacture successful which you make your living? What sorts of complaints do others make astir your business?

Social entrepreneurs thin to salary adjacent attraction whenever they brushwood issues that galore will brushwood disconnected arsenic “someone else’s job.”

Entrepreneurs who activity to go agents of affirmative alteration expect guidance but are not easy dissuaded by naysayers. Instead, they sift done feedback, looking for immoderate random pearls of contented they mightiness person overlooked.

In short, this type of entrepreneur finds worth wherever others mightiness travel up empty.

3. Innovator Within a Larger Company

For galore mid-career professionals, moving to effect mutually beneficial alteration wrong a larger institution is simply a much viable option. This avenue is particularly appealing to those who whitethorn not beryllium successful a position to return connected nan risks associated pinch solo entrepreneurship.

Possible innovations mightiness see moving pinch nan C-suite decision-makers to partner pinch a section nonprofit, starting a instauration intimately aligned pinch institution products and services, aliases suggesting replacement uses for resources that mightiness dishonesty dormant occasionally.

Primary Characteristics of a Large-Company Innovator

Certainly, spotting areas of discarded wrong immoderate statement is an opportunity either to repurpose unused resources aliases astatine slightest trim early proviso orders. An entrepreneurial spirit keeps 1 oculus connected nan bottommost statement while actively considering nan use of its community.

Above all, a large-company entrepreneur will beryllium arsenic skilled astatine cultivating relationships pinch executives and mill level employees. The expertise to shape a conjugation of supportive labor crossed an full statement is simply a superior characteristic of this type of innovator.

Ask Yourself: Is my institution making a affirmative effect connected nan section community? Which efforts americium I personally consenting to spearhead?

Beyond providing jobs and an expanded taxation base, wherever tin this institution reasonably dream to make a dent without jeopardizing revenues? Is my institution already participating successful section efforts to amended sustainability, affordable housing, aliases wide value of life? How tin these efforts beryllium augmented aliases enhanced?

4. Founder of a Scalable Enterprise

This type of entrepreneur starts a caller task pinch an existing exit strategy. In different words, nan occurrence of their startup is only nan first measurement successful a chain.

After nan caller business has launched, nan laminitis useful to statement up nan stableness of nan “mother ship.” The first offering is past disposable to imaginable investors looking to replicate its success. Ultimately, nan laminitis whitethorn moreover scheme to divest themselves and move connected to different challenge.

Benchmarks for moving guardant pinch a scalable endeavor would beryllium a precocious separator of profit, pent-up request for nan merchandise aliases service, and enthusiasm connected nan portion of imaginable investors.

Silicon Valley, for example, serves arsenic nan astir evident lawsuit successful point. Many of today’s exertion giants started successful someone’s car shed aliases spare bedroom, only to standard up arsenic revenue, interest, and marketplace consequence grew.

Primary Characteristics of nan Founder of a Scalable Enterprise

Of each 4 types of entrepreneurs, seeking to beryllium nan laminitis of a scalable startup is almost surely nan riskiest. While you could easy person a awesome thought that hasn’t been exploited to its afloat potential, it’s a safe stake that title will beryllium aggravated and unrelenting.

Entrepreneurs who standard successfully thin to beryllium that uncommon type who is arsenic adept astatine some right- and left-brain thinking. If not, they thin to person a partner pinch immoderate accomplishment group they lack.

Ask Yourself: Do I person an thought for a merchandise aliases work that could importantly amended different people’s lives? Have I travel up pinch thing that is some innovative and unique? How mightiness this conception play retired successful different markets?

Do I person entree to nan group and resources I request to propulsion this off? Have I recovered enthusiastic partners? Who is laying their money connected nan table? Am I consenting to look aggravated title and support plowing forward?

Scalable businesses typically require more finance connected nan beforehand end. As a business grows, nan percent of profit should spell up.

Various Opportunities, Various Types of Entrepreneurs

Of course, these 4 superior types of entrepreneurs are not fixed and immovable.

For example, an innovator successful a ample institution mightiness 1 time transverse complete to founding their ain business. Some entrepreneurs will do some astatine nan aforesaid time. There are virtually arsenic galore different paths to entrepreneurial occurrence arsenic location are innovators consenting to dive in.

Start pinch a fearless and rigorous self-assessment. Be realistic astir who you are and what drives you.

The challenges associated pinch entrepreneurship will require intrinsic motivation arsenic you plan, pivot, regroup, and yet succeed.

Featured photograph credit: The Lazy Artist Gallery via pexels.com