The 4 Types of Entrepreneurs: Which One Are You?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Recently, I outlined the 4 types of entrepreneurs I have encountered in three decades of helping businesses and brands grow.

Not knowing this, you choose the wrong business partners.

Or the wrong clients to serve.

Or miss choosing the best (and smartest) way to use your assets for rapid and effective growth of your brand, your company and your ability to truly make a difference.

The 4 Types of Entrepreneurs: The Vital Question

Entrepreneurs have one thing in common: they all seek survival and growth.

Yet all entrepreneurs (and companies and brands) seek out growth, opportunity, and expansion in various different ways. 

Not so long ago, I broke out the lifecycle of a brand and the 7 stages most brands hit. It was and is a powerful and insightful article.

So the real question here becomes: 

Which type of entrepreneur are you?

And is that type serving you best to meet your objectives?

Unless you’ve answered this, you won’t be able to play to your strengths.

When you have honestly answered this, you open the doors to:

• Choosing the right opportunities
• Choosing the right clients to best serve
• Choosing the right partners, and
• Knowing your next step up the ladder (if your current choice isn’t getting you the results in enough quantity and quality to satisfy your objectives)

Which of the 4 Types of Entrepreneurs Are You?

The four types of entrepreneurs:

• Coasting, opportunity comes to them (or it doesn’t)
• Conservative (very moderate use of resources, protecting existing resources)
• Aggressive (proactive, all-in, actively seeks opportunity)
• Innovator/Revolutionary (attains growth through innovation)

Coasters

The coasters don’t look for opportunity, things kind of “happen,” and for some, that works. It is more focused on right now what’s in front of us.

Conservative

The conservative entrepreneur operates on the principle “resources are limited,” and thus, we have “be cautious.” This is slightly focused on the future, but conservatively so, since ”you never know.”

Aggressive/Proactive

The aggressive entrepreneur operates more on the idea that there are many opportunities and uses whatever resources are there to achieve those objectives. This is more focused on what’s next, what more can be achieved, and generating growth through personal action and conviction.

Innovator/Revolutionary

The innovator not only seeks out opportunities that can be seized but look for opportunities that, with some refinement, can be the best of all worlds. This is the rebel, the artist, the non-conformist embracing all that’s possible in the future (even at the sacrifice of the present).

Isolating who you are and how you approach growth will make the difference in whether you do that quickly, slowly, or not.