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Entrepreneurial Heroism

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies

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Synonym

Business leadership; Entrepreneurial exceptionalism; Entrepreneurial idolization; Heroic business leadership

Definition

Entrepreneurial heroism and martyrdom represent a continuum of identity work that involves entrepreneurs adopting and/or being characterized by exalted qualities that range from, for example, brilliant to brave, creative to clairvoyant, gifted to gritty, and self-driven to selfless. The implications of entrepreneurial heroism vary to the benefit and detriment of entrepreneurs and consumers alike.

In 1730, economist Richard Cantillon first characterized the role of the entrepreneur as one who willingly bears the risk of failure with the intended payoff being the generation of value and realization of personal wealth within uncertain market environments (Hébert and Link 1989). Nearly 300 years later, the risk of entrepreneurial failure remains extreme with rates of failed ventures reaching as high as 90% (Bryant 2022). Consequently, entrepreneurs are seen as...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Matthew M. Mars

Authors
  1. Matthew M. Mars
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew M. Mars .

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA

    Scott T. Allison

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Mars, M.M. (2023). Entrepreneurial Heroism. In: Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_234-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_234-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17125-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17125-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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