We explain what an entrepreneur is and the types of entrepreneur that exist. Plus, the features you need to succeed.
What is a entrepreneur?
The word entrepreneur comes from French and is synonymous with entrepreneur, a term used in the business world to refer to who organizes and operates various organizational initiatives, running a certain margin of financial risk in it. It should not be confused with the term entrepreneur, which simply refers to who works or runs a company.
This term, so in vogue in recent times, originated in the 18th century, at the beginning of industrial capitalism, when the Anglo-French economist Richard Cantillon used it to define who “pays a certain price to resell a product at an uncertain price, making decisions about obtaining and using resources, and admitting the risk inherent in entrepreneurship.”
Currently the term entrepreneur denotes business leaders who, driven by their passions (and not only by the idea of accumulating capital) decide to risk launching a viable project, assuming the risks that this entails.
Famous people from the business and industrial world such as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs are an example of thisThey are distinguished from businessmen or entrepreneurs in that the latter would lack that innovative, risky spirit, preferring to opt for safe paths that lead to economic gain.
Types entrepreneur
Several types of entrepreneurs are commonly spoken of:
- Corporate or business entrepreneurs. Those who risk starting a young and innovative company (known as Startup) from their passions or knowledge.
- Digital entrepreneurs. Those who use the Internet and new communication and information technologies for their endeavors, emphasizing the possibilities of these new media.
- Social entrepreneurs. Those who advocate the creation of other types of associations and organizations not necessarily commercial, such as NGOs, other political or community organizations.
Characteristics of a entrepreneur
Although the adventure of entrepreneurship is very unique and personal depending on the case, most of the time it is said that an entrepreneur must have the following characteristics to succeed:
- Passion. Entrepreneurs are not simply businessmen. They are people moved by an intimate, personal goal, who want to return a sustainable reality.
- Vision. Future projection and the perception of windows of opportunity are key in the development of an enterprise.
- Confidence. Given that the margins of uncertainty in a venture are usually very high, an entrepreneur must have confidence in himself and the capacity for tolerance and improvisation that dealing with it requires.
- Leadership. A entrepreneur he is an inspirer, not just a boss. You must be an example for your work team and lead them on the path to fulfillment.
- Honesty. Entrepreneurs bet too much on their dreams to ruin them through dishonest practices that give them a bad name or close doors.
- Innovation. Entrepreneurships are the order of the day, so they must be fast, be up to date and know very well what are the changes that occur in the business, social or political culture that interests them.