Accidental entrepreneurs are small business owners who are driven by economic need rather than an entrepreneurial passion. This economic need is fueled by the growing unemployment rate (9.6% in July 2010) and increased competition for fewer available jobs. Skilled workers who were laid off from white collar jobs, the newly “unretired”, military veterans returning from combat and former stay-at-home spouses are leveraging their professional backgrounds to create new forms of income by starting their own business.
As MSNBC’s Allison Linn noted earlier this year, “With unemployment hovering at 10 percent and the economy still shedding jobs, many would-be employees have concluded that the best way forward is to go into business for themselves, whether they want to or not.”
So what makes accidental entrepreneurs special? The accidental entrepreneur often holds a more tactical view of business principles and models, stemming from previous professional experience, formal education and training. This may even contribute to higher success rates for these businesses as they tend to be more research driven. However, there are some lessons they can learn from more typical serial entrepreneurs driven by their passions, including:
Feel free to listen to the podcast I recorded with Rieva about accidental entrepreneurs if you’re interested in learning more.
If you’re an “accidental entrepreneur” and have some lessons to share, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
