Did you know Benjamin Franklin was a great entrepreneur

[The Start Up Sage]

Business Switch (Start a Business - New business start up Australia - Business Switch (http://www.business-switch.com.au)) has just declared Benjamin Franklin a great entrepreneur. You can read more at a great entrepreneur? Would you believe Benjamin Franklin? (http://www.squidoo.com/benjaminfranklinandbusiness)

[Slade]

Interesting, I guess back in the day he would be called an inventor, as opposed to an Entrepreneur.. so now would we say that a Modern Day inventor.. someone who creates something for the benefit of others is now called an Entrepreneur?

What would we say the difference between an inventor and an Entrepreneur is?

[JamesGG]

What would we say the difference between an inventor and an Entrepreneur is?


The inventor doesn't take the next step...?

[The Start Up Sage]

The inventor doesn't take the next step...?


Exactly! Although given Ben Franklin also owned and operated his own newspaper and printing houses (among other things) to call him just an inventor is probably unjust. He took the 'next step' a number of times.

[The Start Up Sage]

By the way, anyone want to suggest a great Australian entrepreneur who hasn't been in the limelight? Perhaps they were known for another feat?

For example, I know Donald Bradman - yes the cricketer - was also a great businessman.

Here is an excerpt from Wiki - "Bradman retired from his stockbroking business in June 1954, depending on the "comfortable" income earned as a board member of 16 publicly listed companies.[140] His highest profile affiliation was with Argo Investments Limited, where he was Chairman for a number of years."

However I am not sure if this achievement warrants the term entrepreneur. What do you think?

When someone asks us to start a business (http://www.business-switch.com.au) we always wonder whether they will be one of Australia's next generation of great entrepreneurs.

[Brendan]

By the way, anyone want to suggest a great Australian entrepreneur who hasn't been in the limelight? Perhaps they were known for another feat?

For example, I know Donald Bradman - yes the cricketer - was also a great businessman.


However I am not sure if this achievement warrants the term entrepreneur. What do you think?


Interesting, would you think that the only reason he was on those boards was to create a profile for those businesses, or did he have a good business brain?

I probably wouldn't give him the 'Entrepreneur' tag.. as an entrepreneur is often classified as someone who creates an enterprise and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome (Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur))

While he was probably a successful businessman, did he have any personal accountability for the boards he chaired and participated in?

[The Start Up Sage]

It was a different era, so I guess the accountability issue for Chairmen was pretty different that it is today.

I know he was a stockbroker for a time. Once again he may have invested in businesses personally, though unless he was the driving force behind the business I have to agree with Brendan and say it would be hard to classify him as an entrepreneur.

I can see no reference to him starting a business (http://www.business-switch.com.au), so I guess the answer is no.