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Myths and misconceptions
For decades or possibly longer, entrepreneurial pathways have rarely been discussed with jobseekers and career transitioners as a viable option. Shows such as Dragon’s Den and many others have influenced the pattern of “pitching” an idea. Local government-funded tech incubators may even follow the same pattern: presenting an idea before a panel of scrutinizing judges. This often leaves the general population believing entrepreneurialism is a bitter fight with venture capitalists or experts to convince them of the value of the latest technology or consumer product that the founder believes should be on the market. Ultimately, this appears to be for a special few, not your client caseload.
With 60% of Canadians viewing entrepreneurship as a viable career option, it is imperative that Career Development Professionals are prepared to identify the traits of an entrepreneur and offer resources to assist in what may be the best-suited option for their client.
The support gap in career services
In the 2024 research article Entrepreneurship as a Career Option within Education: A Critical Review of Psychological Constructs, the authors note “most career models have been developed for traditional, wage-based careers, thus needing to be expanded to accommodate entrepreneurship.” Combined with heavy caseloads that limit client session time, there is rarely capacity or time to explore misunderstood career options.
This clearly identifies the issues that make entrepreneurialism so difficult to explore and present to jobseekers and career transitioners. So let’s take a moment to demystify the often misunderstood realm of entrepreneurialism.
Identifying client traits
How can a career development professional identify entrepreneurial traits? First off, it is important to note that some Career Theory presents a problem for practitioners, as Kakouris et al. (2024) point out, “… Parsons’ trait-and-factor approach and Holland’s typology, aimed primarily at the best possible matching between the individual and the work environment. These approaches were tightly stuck with … static personality traits … matching them with specific working environments.”
Depending on the practitioner’s education and experience, they may be unprepared to support entrepreneurial clients. So it is important to have an understanding of the traits of a potential entrepreneurial client, and what to look for in a session.
It should be understood that there isn’t simply one type of person who suits an entrepreneurial career path. There are blends of traits and preferences that apply. Jobseekers can be successful entrepreneurs if they pursue ventures that match their traits and practice strong self-management and balance. To understand entrepreneurial traits further, here are four to consider.
- Autonomy focused: A pronounced need to take charge, exercise authority, and direct outcomes.
- High resilience: High self-motivation, a reliance on internal standards rather than external approval or praise.
- Calculated risk-takers: A tendency to take manageable, prudent risks with clear recovery paths rather than reckless gambles.
- Creator mindset: High enthusiasm for starting and building new projects, often accompanied by boredom with routine supervisory management after one to two years.
Adapted from Consulting Resource Groups’s Entrepreneurial Style Indicator developed by Terry D. Anderson, Ken Keis, and Howard Shenson (2018).
Career Development Professionals need to build proficiency in supporting entrepreneurs as the labour market in Canada today may demand more jobseekers taking the entrepreneurial path. Based on the four traits outlined above, here are some cues to look for in coaching sessions that may be an indicator that your client is best suited to be an entrepreneur.
Your client may say:
“I’m tired of waiting for permission to execute ideas”
“I see so many inefficiencies in my industry, but no one wants to build the systems to fix them properly.”
“I love helping my clients and doing the actual work, but I hate the internal politics.”
“I can’t imagine doing just one job function for the next five years – I have three different projects I want to build right now.”
While the support gap may be prevalent in career services, the opportunity in Canada abounds for entrepreneurialism based on several factors: necessity-driven gig work among migrants in Canada, generational change in small business ownership and rising interest in entrepreneurship as a viable career. Information and tools are now widely available for career development professionals to begin identifying fit and providing sound support for entrepreneurial clients.
In part 2 of this series we will look at the three entrepreneurial tracks practitioners can help guide their clients to consider.
