Career Services

• Home
• About Us
  • About Us
  • Our Office
  • Contact Us
• Announcements
• Services
  • Services
  • For Students
  • For Alumni
  • For Employers
  • For Mentors
  • For Faculty/Staff
  • For Family Members
  • Workshop Requests
  • Reference Files
• Discover Your Passion
  • Discover Your Passion
  • Checklist for Success
  • Decision-Making
  • Self-Assessment Tools
  • Explore Majors & Careers
  • Informational Interviewing
  • Mentor Network
  • Career Planning Course
• Develop Your Skills
  • Develop Your Skills
  • Get Involved
  • Part-Time/Summer Jobs
  • Campus Jobs
  • Internships
  • Peer Advisors
• Achieve Your Future
  • Achieve Your Future
  • Resumes
  • Cover Letters
  • Networking
  • Job Searching
  • Interviewing
  • On-Campus Interviews
  • Continuing Education
  • Testing Center
• Events
• Specialty Resources
  • Diversity at Work
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Global Job Search
  • Green Careers
  • Government Careers
• Videos
• Photos

• 
• About BullsEye/Login Help
• Search:

Entrepreneurship

Introduction

Entrepreneurship as a career option can be an exciting opportunity to be explored. This career path can take many directions and goes far beyond the sole idea of owning a small business and being your own boss.

Entrepreneurs identify needs, develop a vision, take action, and turn dreams into reality. They create products, companies, or even industries. They change individuals' lives or an entire society. Some work for themselves and others do entrepreneurial work within traditional companies. Some entrepreneurs' focus on money and others focus on leading social change.

There are more resources and tools than ever before for entrepreneurs to gain the knowledge needed, exploring this interesting career option. On college campuses across the country there is an increased interest in entrepreneurial careers. We hope the resources and information below will be of assistance. Make an appointment with a UB Career Services Counselor to discuss the wide variety of entrepreneurial career options!

Profile of an Entrepreneur

Common Skills, Traits, Qualities

Motivations of Entrepreneurs

• Being Your Own Boss
• Making a Name for Yourself
• Accumulating Wealth
• Solving People's Problems
• Creating Something Lasting
• Needing to Achieve and Compete

Additional Information

• Do you want to be an Entrepreneur?
• Profile of an Entrepreneur
• Pros/Cons of Entrepreneurship
• Benefits and Risks of Entrepreneurship
• Hot Places for Startup Companies from the Wall Street Journal Online

Paths to Entrepreneurship

Start Your Own Business

• Small Business Entrepreneurship - Small businesses have been responsible for creating 60%- 80% of new jobs in the economy in recent years Small Business Economy . There are 5.7 million small businesses in the U.S. which make up 99.7% of all companies and employ 50% of all non-governmental workers (Steve Blank).
• Buy a Franchise - A franchise is an agreement between a small business owner and the parent company. The parent company gives the franchisee the right to sell the company's products and often provides support services like advertising and supplier relationships, in return for a franchise fee and percent of the profits. Franchising makes up 40% of all retail sales in the U.S.
• Buy an Existing Business

Be a Self-Employed Professional

Become a 'one person' firm (such as a subcontractor, consultant, business analyst, inventor, independent agent or broker, builder, developer, craftsperson, artisan).

Be a Corporate Entrepreneur at a Traditional Firm

Such as new product development, research, change agent, innovator.

Be a Social Entrepreneur at a Traditional Firm

This is an employee of a firm who operates in a socially entrepreneurial manner, identifying opportunities for and/ or initiating socially responsible activity in addition to helping the organization reach its business goals.

Be a Social Entrepreneur

Social entrepreneurs focus on creating social capital and further social and environmental goals locally, nationally, or internationally (applying capitalistic strategies to achieve philanthropic goals).

Sample Career Titles of Entrepreneurs

Associations and Organizations

• American Management Association
• American Management Association (Entrepreneurship Division)
• Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization
• Entrepreneurs' Organization
• Entrepreneurship.org
• Global Entrepreneurship Institute
• International Franchise Association
• Launch NY - Helping start-ups succeed in Upstate NY with financial and managerial resources.
• National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)
• SCORE
• Students in Free Enterprise
• Small Business Association
• NYS Small Business Development Center - Buffalo & Niagara
• Buffalo State College Small Business Development Center

Online Resources

• UB Entrepreneurs and Resources
• UB Library Resources
• Entrepreneurial Studies Source – UB Libraries - This database provides the academic researcher as well as the student with the latest insight on topics relevant to entrepreneurship and small businesses. Entrepreneurial Studies Source offers users full text for more than 125 key periodicals, 135 reference books, numerous case studies, thousands of company profiles and over 600 videos with transcripts and related articles from the Harvard Faculty Seminar Series and Vator.TV, one of the world's largest social network sites for high-tech entrepreneurs.
• Stanford University - Entrepreneurship Corner
• The Kauffman Foundation
• Entrepreneur Meetup Groups
• Entrepreneur Magazine
• TannedFeet.com - The Entrepreneur's Help Page
• Young Entrepreneur
• Start Up America - Startup America is the White House campaign to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation.
• The Entrepreneur's Source - coaching, support, franchising education
• No Jobs? Young Graduates Make Their Own