Different Kinds of Entrepreneurs

You may know someone who owns his or her own business, and you may be familiar with the term entrepreneur. But did you know that there are different kinds of entrepreneurs?

• Some people are happy to start a small, profitable business and keep it that way — small and profitable. Perhaps you know of a family-owned pizzeria near your house that is known for making the best pizza in town. It’s the only location where you can get this pizza, and the owners have decided to keep it that way.
• Other entrepreneurs have larger goals. Perhaps they will start their own pizzeria someday, but instead of keeping their secret recipe confined to a single storefront, they will grow their business into a giant corporation the likes of Domino’s or Little Caesar’s.
• The ultimate goal for many entrepreneurs is to grow a company large enough to go public. Taking a company public means that shares of your company are traded on a stock exchange like the NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange, or American Stock Exchange.  

If the idea of starting a company that goes public seems far-fetched to you, remember that when Bill Gates first started his company he had no idea how big it would grow. As you explore this course, you will meet many entrepreneurs who started something very small that later grew into a mega-corporation. If you keep an open mind, their stories will help you understand how a company grows large enough to go public.