From Sylvia Parsons:

Before I can seek out women entrepreneurs for my series, "There's Something About Her," I must know  for whom I am looking.  Is the in-home child care provider as entrepreneurial as the founding CEO of an international corporation?  What is an entrepreneur in the first place? I took to the Internet, and the lonely shelves of Newman Library, in search of insight.

“Entrepreneurship” derives from the French word, entreprendre, which means “to undertake.” The dictionary definition of an entrepreneur is: “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.” Many, such as Schwartz, argue that entrepreneurs must “create a business that did not previously exist.” As Paul C. Light outlines in The Search for Social Entrepreneurship, some seek evidence of “basic motivations for achievement, autonomy, and affiliation.”  Others just view this as “entrepreneurial spirit” which must be actualized into entrepreneurship.

Quickmba.com shows entrepreneurship as characterized by rapid growth and significant wealth creation. This excludes many non-profit leaders, small business owners, and self-employed individuals. That conflicts with many popular sites and resources. And what of solopreneurs and creators of new, inventive small businesses?

So, what sets entrepreneurs apart? I offer these three characteristics:

1. Risk: Entrepreneurial risk is high and entrepreneurs knowingly “undertake” the costs in pursuit of their vision and profits.
2. Innovation: Entrepreneurs blaze new paths; invent new markets, create new products and implement new strategies. 
3. Speed of growth (wealth creation): Many agree that entrepreneurial ventures result in great wealth, in excess of millions, often within 5 years. With growing concepts of social entrepreneurship, however, growth in market awareness and systematic change can be considered as well. Whatever the entrepreneur's goal, it is important that he or she make rapid progress toward that end and that others buy into the vision quickly.

Without visibility, expansion and wealth, entrepreneurs remain small-business owners and self-employed individuals. Entrepreneurs set themselves apart.

Whether one is an aspiring or existing entrepreneur, one message is clear:

True success is not only a result of who you know, but who knows you.

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Sylvia Parsons will complete her Master's Degree from Virginia Tech in Human Development in the fall of 2009.  She is an intern with Handshake Media, Incorporated. "There's Something About Her," the series by Sylvia Parsons can be found on Handshake 2.0 under Women Entrepreneurs.