ABSTRACT
One of the first writers to describe the entrepreneur was Jean-Baptise Say. He described the entrepreneur as a person who could forecast demand and create value. There has been considerable work on the personality traits including the psychodynamic model, which portrays the entrepreneur as a rebel. Characteristics of the entrepreneur include their desire to be independent, work hard and usually have good communication skills. They are also able to raise finance, can make decisions and are motivated to succeed. Entrepreneurs are motivated by social and environmental factors and some may be ‘pushed’ into entrepreneurship in order to create an income. Others may decide to start a business because they have identified an opportunity. One of the functions of the entrepreneur is to develop new products and services as well as new markets and technology. Lifestyle entrepreneurs want the business to provide them with an income, whereas others want to grow and expand. Some technology entrepreneurs have become billionaires in a very short time and they have transformed the way people live and work. The gig and sharing economy is based on online platforms that have become very successful. Intrapreneurs are those who have an entrepreneurial approach in a large organisation. A growing sector is the senior entrepreneurs who start a business later on in life.
