Perfil empreendedor: análise das características empreendedoras

Abstract

Entrepreneur is characterized as somebody who identifies and explores opportunities, creating new and different values and satisfactions. An entrepreneurial characteristic is a behavioral trait, attitude or personal skill inherent to the individual who is involved in an enterprise. The study of entrepreneur’s characteristics contributes to understand entrepreneur behavior and what direct an individual who wants to become an entrepreneur. The aim of this paper study is to identify, by a bibliographic research, the major entrepreneur characteristics classified by reference authors and then verify if interviewed people characterized as entrepreneurs possess those characteristics. This was a descriptive research whit qualitative approach that was composed by bibliographic investigation, to theoretical basement, and by documental exploration, by collecting video interviews with presumed entrepreneurs. The interviews were made by Administration’s students, from Federal University of Ceará, during years 2011 and 2012, and recorded in video files. Seven interviewees were selected and their interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The bibliographic enquiry revealed six characteristics that entrepreneurs should present: ability to identify opportunities; predisposition to take risks; predisposition to learn; and orientation to achievement, to innovation and to dedication. The interviews analysis findings revealed that all entrepreneur characteristics were present in the interviewed group, but none of the interviewees showed all the characteristics. Just the ability to identify opportunities is present in each of interviewed entrepreneurs. Therefore, could be inferred that interviewed entrepreneurs present some of the characteristics classified in theoretical basement. They don’t have a specific profile, but they have some characteristics in common and a similar behavior.