Three Types of Entrepreneurs

Over the past few months I’ve connected with dozens of entrepreneurs. Very quickly, I began to notice that not all entrepreneurs are insane. In fact most of them are quite stable - but not all are driven by the same forces. These forces, I believe, are one of the most basic ways to understand the spectrum of people who identify themselves as entrepreneurs. I’m not ranking these forces, but rather laying out these classifications so you can better understand these stereotypically-insane individuals when interacting with them.

1). Entrepreneur by Necessity

I think this first class of entrepreneur is the most common. This is the entrepreneur that started a small coffee shop, or a teriyaki restaurant, or a hair salon, or a babysitting service, or a farm, or became a music instructor, or whatever. They started a business to make a living. Maybe their job revolves around something they’re passionate about - like teaching piano lessons. Or maybe they opened a sandwich shop because they thought it was the only way they could make a living.

It may not have been their dream to operate their respective business; they started it out of necessity.

2). Entrepreneur by Opportunity

Celebrities, big companies, and individuals that know the right people often fall within this category. Some entrepreneurs in this classification may spill over from the third classification of, “Entrepreneur by Obsession,” but this type of entrepreneur stands out nonetheless. An entrepreneur by opportunity is an individual presented with potential; they often don’t have to seek it out, it just comes knocking on their door. Sometimes it’s as simple as someone asking to brand their product with your name and *boom* you’re an entrepreneur. You now have a perfume business, or a cognac business, or a whatever-someone-came-to-you-and-said,-“Let’s-do-this!”-business.

3). Entrepreneur by Obsession

These are the insane ones. Entrepreneurs by obsession have the biggest, craziest, and often, the best ideas. They’re not always the most successful, but they’re the most driven. There is an inexplicable force within them that makes them excited about staying up late at night to work and eager to get out of the bed in the morning to keep on hustling. The correct word is a cross between “passion” and “obsession.” What is important is that these people are motivated to push forward and run through concrete walls without slowing down.

The next time you meet with someone that identifies themselves as an entrepreneur, take a moment and think about what drives them. Are they making money to survive? Are they making money because they’ve been blessed with opportunity knocking at the door? Or are they intrinsically driven to make things happen?