What Type of Entrepreneur Am I?

The word “entrepreneur” has become trendy in recent years, yet it is still a fairly broad term when you dig deeper. Being an entrepreneur is not only about owning a business. It is a way of working, a way of living, and a way of thinking.

Through the consulting work I have done with clients, I have been able to identify several types of entrepreneurs. I do not claim these are the only ones that exist, but they are the profiles I have clearly seen and categorized.

See which profile fits you:

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1- The World Changer

You are highly aware of your surroundings, both locally and globally. You may have been an activist or environmentalist in a previous career. You probably started your company to create a positive impact on the world. You measure success by impact, and when it comes to social media you almost certainly have Twitter and Instagram accounts. You know the world changes “one person and one company at a time.”

2- The Opportunist

Although many people treat the word as negative, being an opportunist is not a bad thing. It is simply different. You have a gift for intuition when it comes to choosing the perfect timing and location to launch a project. Some may call you impulsive, but that is just another way of saying opportunistic, especially when so many of your right-time, right-place moves have paid off. You trust your gut while still doing solid research. That said, you could get better at planning ahead if you want to build an empire.

3- The Innovator

You are all about creating a product or service. As an ideas person, innovation matters more to you than simply running a company, and that is fine. You have a talent for proposing new ideas or improving old ones. That also means you may need to excel at delegation and hire a CEO to handle the tasks you do not enjoy. Like the opportunist, you trust your instincts and you research thoroughly. You likely aim to build an empire.

4- The Serial Entrepreneur

Your strength is flexibility and constantly looking ahead to the next big move. You are like Thomas Edison: you can handle heavy stress and bounce back from negative experiences with ease. A complete leader, you may struggle to learn from past failures (it does not come automatically for you). You measure success by outperforming the competition and by how much money you make. You might jot ideas down on Twitter or even on a napkin.

5- The Jack of All Trades

“Diversification” is your middle name. You are not afraid to explore trends or step in when needed. That makes you see risk as both scary and exciting at the same time; you truly believe there are no great rewards without great risk. At the same time you can be a bit of a follower, which means you need the right investors, interested customers, and partners to succeed. You probably became an entrepreneur to enjoy the self-starter lifestyle or simply because you do not want to work for anyone else.

6- The Wantrepreneur

You are not an entrepreneur yet, and you may never become one. You are rich in ideas, but a lot still needs to happen. You are up in the air: if you won the lottery you might start a business, take a vacation, or invest in an existing company. You want the lifestyle of a successful entrepreneur and to be someone others want to copy, but you need more motivation to become one of the other five genuine types of entrepreneurs.