What Type of Entrepreneur Are You?

Each of us has a unique drive to create something of our own. This craving is so deeply innate to our human existence we cannot ignore it. For many this desire is satisfied through entrepreneurship.

In The Creator’s Code, Susan Wilkinson shares her experiences with some of the most notable entrepreneurs in modern history. Having interviewed the likes of Elon Musk, Chipotle founder Steve Ells, Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, Reid Hoffman of Paypal, and countless other high-performing entrepreneurs she created three categories that can be used to broadly classify the entrepreneurial-type.

Wilkinson refers to the first type of entrepreneur a “Sunbird.” She says that they “transport solutions that work in one area and apply them to another, often with a twist.” In other words Sunbirds use an existing product to create something new, usually in an unrelated field.

For example, Howard Schultz of Starbucks took the idea of expresso bars from Italy and started building coffee shops in Seattle. Likewise, the idea for Nike’s original waffle-tread running shoe came from a waffle iron. Wilkinson continues, “Sunbirds identify a working concept and find a way to plug it in elsewhere.”

That is, Sunbirds use analogies to build businesses. In fact, both eBay and Google were built based on analogies. Dedre Gentner of the Cognitive Science Program at Northwestern remarked that “making analogies helps people utilize what they already know.”

Second, Wilkinson classifies the Architect entrepreneurs as those who “recognize openings and furnish what is missing.” Architects find problems and pain points that can be used to create new products.

For example, Sarah Blakely created Spanx after experiencing frustration with the fit of her traditional pantyhose. She used her discomfort to create relief for millions of other women. Wilkinson quotes Blakely who says that she is “looking for a gap,” an opportunity to build something that is needed but doesn’t exist.

Similarly Elon Musk states that “when I see a problem I just start asking questions.” During her conversation with Musk, Wilkinson mentions that he boils things down to their fundamental truths and reasons from there. In other words, an Architect like Musk will approach a problem from a basic principles perspective and then build a better solution.

The third category of entrepreneur defined by Wilkinson is called the Integrator. These entrepreneurs take existing elements to invent a new product or service.

For instance, when Steve Ells founded Chipotle he used the concepts in fast food and restaurant style dining to create a new dining category called “Fast Casual.”

Integrators possess the ability to actively think of two or more opposite things or ideas simultaneously. These contradictions have led to creative results in science, writing, economics, as well as business.

Additionally, the founders of Gilt, a discount luxury clothing website, blended limited-time discounts and designer luxury on the internet. They used their personal shopping preferences to bring affordability and luxury to shoppers around the world. Wilkinson notes that, as a result, “Gilt created a new kind of customer who never bought luxury items before.”

Your most reliable path to financial freedom will come from helping others by providing a product or service of value. As Jim Rohn says, “Financial freedom is the ability to live from the income of your own personal resources.” 

Use analogies like a Sunbird to create a new product, think of your pain points in your life as opportunities like an Architect, or look at unrelated things you already blend together and use them to help others like an Integrator. Start by testing your ideas and use some of these entrepreneurial stories as a guideline for your own journey toward realizing the freedom you desire.

As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to send me a message. Thanks for reading.

John