Guest Editor’s Perspective

The past thirty years have witnessed the most powerful emergence of entrepreneurial activity in the world. Entrepreneurs are now described as aggressive catalysts for change in the world of business; individuals who recognize opportunities where others see chaos, contradiction, or confusion. They have been compared to Olympic athletes challenging themselves to break new barriers, to long-distance runners dealing with the agony of the miles, to symphony orchestra conductors who balance the different skills and sounds into a cohesive whole, or to top-gun pilots who continually push the envelope of speed and daring. The U.S. economy has been revitalized because of the efforts of entrepreneurs, and the world has turned now to free enterprise as a model for economic development. The passion and drive of entrepreneurs move the world of business forward as they challenge the unknown and continuously create the future (Kuratko, 2002). Several methods have been used to measure the impact of entrepreneurial ventures on the economy—for example, efforts to start a firm (which may not be successful), incorporation of a firm (which may never go into business), changes in net tax returns filed (reflecting new filings minus filings no longer received), and a substantial amount of full-time and part-time self-employment. According to the Small Business Administration, 672,000 new businesses were created in 2005; the largest in US history (even 12 % higher than the infamous “dotcom ” explosion). More significantly, 74 million Americans stated they plan to start a new venture within the next five years while an additional 199 million Americans plan to start a venture someday. (The Small Busines