About Face
The face of entrepreneurship has evolved over the years, and today, it's dramatically different. But what will the entrepreneur of the future look like?
By Joshua Kurlantzick •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Fifty years ago, the typical entrepreneur was relativelyhomogenous and static. He was usually a white man, sometimesworking together with his family, who owned a small Main Streetretail shop or a local manufacturing company. He knew most of hisclients, and his company focused on local goods and services.
Today, much has changed. America's entrepreneurs are muchmore diverse racially, gender-wise and age-wise, and an increasingnumber are starting service businesses rather than manufacturing orretail companies. Economists, sociologists and small-businessexperts say the key trends in American entrepreneurship-growingdiversity, an aging work force, a preference for starting companiesthat fit personal lifestyles, and a move into higher-value, globalindustries-are only likely to accelerate in the coming years. Adecade from now, they say, the entrepreneur of the future will bedrastically different from even today's business owners.
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