I've been looking for a while for a better definition of who my market is other than "startup", "microISV", "mISV", "unfunded startup", "indy" because they don't get to the heart of what those people share. Is a 1 person software company that's been going strong for 5 years a startup? Where does someone who creates music, art, fiction online and monetizes it fit in? How about people like Robert Scoble and Gary Vaynerchuk?
My startup (sic) targets this market and the better I can define it, the better I can connect and converse with it.
So what do you think of the term Digital Entrepreneur? Is that you? Feedback appreciated.
My Opinion? Digital Entrepreneur isn't going to get you any traction. Entrepreneur has too many syllables and today 'digital' largely conveys electronic/online/web entertainment (i.e Digital Lifestyle).
The way I look at this is in terms of a Lifestyle Entrepreneur or Lifestyle Company. The definition goes like this:
Lifestyle Entrepreneur: is a person who is doing something that they love to do as a business. Given the choice and means, they would do whatever it is for free.
It's basically your lifestyle and the line between work and life is blurry. This captures the person who starts their own gig, runs it successfully and really does not want to "exit". All they really want to do is enjoy what they do and earn a living at it. Think of it as the stuff you do for free and now you happen to get paid for it.
Why do we need a new term? Small Business or Entrepreneur works for me. You are going to have to explain to people exactly what you are doing anyway. But I'm biased; I'm pretty much buzzworded out, and I don't think my brain could handle any new vocabulary.