This person could be a friend, a family friend, or a relative. If you don’t know an entrepreneur, do some networking through friends and family to find one. If you have an interest in a particular industry, consider seeking out an entrepreneur in that field.
Is this person a user innovator, a producer (a single, non-collaborating firm) innovator, or both? If so, how so?
What’s the innovation your interviewee has come up with?
Is it truly innovative?
What is interesting to you about the interviewee’s mindset?
What skills do they have that allow them to be an innovator?
How did they acquire the skills to come up with the innovation?
Did they learn to be an innovator, or were they born an innovator?
If they claim to be a ‘born innovator,’ what do you think that means?
What are the characteristics of a born innovator?
Is the person part of a community that helps people collaborate? How does this person share their innovation, or innovations, with others?
Why did they choose to start a business? Do they have other entrepreneurial experience?
How did they discover the entrepreneurial opportunity upon which their business is based?
What, if any, setbacks did they encounter along the way? How did they overcome them (if they did)?
Evaluate the extent to which this person displays traits and/or behaviors commonly associated with entrepreneurs.
Assess the financial impact of their business alongside any other dimensions of responsible business (i.e., multiple bottom lines):
Impact on people (local community or broader societal impact)
Impact on ‘planet’ or the natural environment
Impact on social justice or equity
Ethical implications of the business
What do you admire about them?
What can you learn from their experience?