ABSTRACT
Those who create, develop and expand successful enterprises make a significant contribution to social and economic development. They are often perceived and relied upon by government and society to be ‘leaders’, ‘innovators’ and significant job providers. Recent trends such as the downsizing of large business and the contracting-out of services previously provided in-house have given opportunities for existing small businesses and encouraged new business starts. These factors, coupled with the personal motivation of many individuals to take greater control of their own destiny or the impetus to have greater flexibility in their working arrangements, have resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of people becoming self-employed or setting up businesses to employ others. The concept of ‘enterprising people’ is used in this chapter to describe this heterogeneous mix of people.
