Looking for Entrepreneurs

When you are hunting lions, it is important to know where the lions are found along with the behaviors of lions. Likewise when looking for entrepreneurs it is important to know not only where they are found, but also what they are like. Entrepreneurs like to tinker. They are always trying to find new ways to improve things. Since they value tinkering over socializing, they are not going to be social butterflies or social network butterflies. They will likely be too busy tinkering and improving things to construct large lists of friends. Entrepreneurs can be found almost anywhere within web 2.0 as they are looking for new opportunities, yet the greater concentration will be in areas where they can tinker. Services that allow them to customize, modify and personalize matters will have more entrepreneur oriented persons.

Another way to find them is to follow the money. Since they are always looking for new ways to capture revenue and income, you will find them in greater numbers on forums and sites that focus on such matters.

Not all entrepreneurs are self-employed. Although going into business for oneself requires some of the same qualities as entrepreneurs, they are not always one and the same. There are some self-employed persons who run franchises or businesses for others. The mind set of these persons is not an entrepreneurial one. They are interested in growing and improving their businesses, although not in the same manner as the entrepreneur does.

Some of the self-employed are professionals who have their own businesses. These persons often operate with business models that are more similar to being independent contractors than entrepreneurs. For example, although a physician may be in business for himself, they often do not engage in radical new procedures of their own making. Professionals often pursue established procedures rather than the tinkering seen with the entrepreneur types. These types often use the social media sites of web 2.0 for networking and information purposes.

Another factor to consider is “how much entrepreneurship is being looked for?” There are some investors who are looking for places to invest. These people are often venture capitalists who are adventuresome enough to invest, although they do not do the tinkering or creative thinking that is often seen in the entrepreneur. Many venture capitalist types are often found on business sites like LinkedIn or Ryze.

Since the entrepreneurial personality is one that is innovative and creative, places that foster creativity, innovation and encouragement will have a greater likelihood of having entrepreneurs. Take for instance sites like Technorati, Reddit, Last.fm and Digg, which allow for greater creativity than some of the other sites. Contrast innovative web 2.0 sites with those focused on networking (LinkedIn) and socializing (facebook). Since they tend to gravitate toward the innovative, sites fostering that type of environment is where you will need to look for entrepreneur types.

If you are looking for an innovative type in a particular field, such as music or computers, then sites that focus on those areas will have more of the innovative types. If you are looking for entrepreneurs who are into banking or finance, you will need to be searching other more business oriented sites.