Difference Between Entrepreneur and Businessman

While referring to people involved in business, we often confuse both entrepreneurs and businessmen/women even though the terms are not interchangeable. An entrepreneur might become a businessman/woman; however, that is not always the case.

To help you understand what exactly sets entrepreneurs and businessmen/women apart, here is our take on the difference between entrepreneur and businessman.

Without further ado, let us get right into the details of what makes someone an entrepreneur or a businessman/woman!

Entrepreneur vs. Businessman: An Overview

The key difference between an entrepreneur and a businessman/woman is that an entrepreneur is someone who started their own business. In contrast, a businessman/woman is someone who walks down the path of a successor.

Entrepreneurs focus on solving problems that exist in society and come up with original ideas that focus more on the well-being and conveniences of people rather than making high profits.

On the other hand, businessmen/women conduct businesses that are either well established in the market or use ideas that other businesses already use. They focus on how much profit they can make from the business rather than solving problems.

Who Is an Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is someone who has started their own business based on a unique idea and to impact society with their venture positively. The business idea has to portray both innovation and exclusiveness if someone wants to be an entrepreneur.

If the idea generated by the entrepreneur is the first of its kind, then the business can be labeled as a start-up. Once an entrepreneur gets a proper grasp and leads the market, they can gradually become a businessman/woman in the long run.

The entrepreneur always faces high risks as they try to tap into a brand-new market and sell an idea to their customers.

Usually, all successful entrepreneurs are visionaries who invest their time to turn their dream into a reality and improve the lives of those around them.

Who Is a Businessman?

A businessman/woman is someone who initiates or runs a business with the idea that already exists in the market. That way, a businessman/woman can calculate the chance of success by conducting a highly demanding business.

Despite having tough competition in a market, a businessman/woman has a high chance of making a profit from the initial stage of their business.

A businessman/woman does not constantly have to develop unique ideas that will turn heads to sell their business to customers.

They can invest their time to calculate which venture might be beneficial and which pre-existing ideas can be the most profitable for them to establish their business. They calculate the profit first and then came up with strategies to lessen risks.

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Main Differences Between an Entrepreneur and a Businessman

An entrepreneur is a pioneer who comes up with a venture that will solve society’s problems without focusing solely on making profits.

While a businessman/woman either takes an established idea or business as their venture, they focus on maximum profit gain.

An entrepreneur focuses on selling their ideas to a customer rather than beating competitors as they tend to have fewer competitors, if any.

A businessman/woman invests a lot of time to beat the competition as they already have many competitors strategically.

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers by the norm. While businessmen/women will take calculative risks if only the risk promises high profit.
Entrepreneurs measure success depending on the impact they were able to create; businessmen/women measure success in profit.

Comparison Table of Entrepreneur and Businessman

Below is a comparison table between entrepreneurs vs. businessmen/women/women so you can compare the differences at a glance!

Parameters of Comparison	Entrepreneur	Businessman/woman
Definition	A person who starts a business or organization based on an original concept	Someone who runs a business established on a pre-existing idea
Market Position	Market Leader	Market Player
Nature	Spontaneous	Strategic
Risk Factor	Comparatively High	Comparatively Low
Orientation	People Orientated	Profit Making
Competition	Low	High

Final Words

Now that you have a good grasp of what sets entrepreneurs and businessmen/women apart, you will differentiate between them easily.

The comparison guide on the difference between entrepreneur and businessman will also help you understand the factors that make them different despite having various similarities in nature.