What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You?

What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You? (Image via Wikipedia)

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It takes a certain mindset, world view, and willingness to assume risk. However, not all entrepreneurs are cut from the same cloth. In fact, there are six different kinds of entrepreneur, and not every one is made for every entrepreneurial opportunity. Do you know which one you are?

• Solo Artist — Most of us envision this kind of entrepreneur when we think of the typical business owner. Gung ho, confident, aware of skill gaps but unwilling to let those gaps stop them, the Solo Artist has a deep need to create their business. This is the person that can fail a dozen times and still feel the drive to try one more time, or the person that succeeded several times but yet can’t seem to retire. Not everybody is like this, but with enough confidence and experience we can get really close.
• Worker Bee — This is a peculiar sort, a job-based entrepreneur. This person wants the comfort and safety of working a job, but yet thrives when there is a trail to blaze. These are the folks that head up new departments that succeed despite little guidance from the big bosses. Many of these people actually go on to own their own businesses eventually, as this exercise can be a good proving ground for later attempts at more conventional entrepreneurship.
• Mentored — These folks want to be gung-ho business owners, but while the skills and talent may be there they lack a certain self-confidence about their abilities. They do well if they have someone they can check in with from time to time, somebody that has been down the business-owner road and can offer occasional guidance.
• Team Player — This entrepreneur has the drive the open their own business, but works best in a team environment. Working alone, they tend not to do very well as they lack that critical thing to succeed that way. It might be the discipline to stick to what needs doing, or a blind spot in marketing or finances. It might even be the willingness to take that entrepreneurial plunge alone. Whatever, this person would do best to keep networking and find those missing team members.
• Guided — Unlike the Team Player, these folks are perfectly capable of going it alone. They just lack the understanding of what they need to do, and/or confidence to do so. Given a laid-out plan, they are willing to give it their all in order to succeed. For these folks, a franchise or multi-level marketing business model works best as these have the mechanics laid out but leave enough wiggle room for the business owner to attack new issues on their own.
• Unwilling Entrpreneur — Too many displaced workers unable to find new jobs ended up in this group, me included. The idea here is that if you can’t find a job, you make one instead. Sometimes this person is a combination of other types, and sometimes this is just somebody that never would have started their own business if not for bad luck with their former employer. Either way, this person tends to need the most help as they probably didn’t expect to ever have to deal with aspects of sales, hiring, or finance.

Whatever type of entrepreneur you are, it’s important to take advantage of the resources available to you.

• Join your local Chamber of Commerce for networking and support.
• Attend business seminars to round out your education and skillset.
• Give business seminars yourself to gain confidence in your presentation skills and to help establish your expertise.
• Seek guidance or assistance from business organizations like SCORE, SBA, and your local business incubator.
• Take advantage of networking opportunities in your community, like Meetup.

For myself, I spent time as each of these types and can empathize with most entrenpreneurs. Whatever your type or circumstance, you have to believe you’ll succeed – do that and you’re halfway there!