What term describes a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture?

• A. Investor
• B. Entrepreneur
• C. Manager
• D. Partner

Answer: (B)

Organizing, operating, and taking on the risk of a new business describes an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who spots an opportunity, pulls together the necessary resources—like people, equipment, and funds—and builds a venture around it, mustering the willingness to bear the financial and personal risk if things don’t go as planned. This active role of starting and leading a new enterprise is what sets an entrepreneur apart.

An investor provides money or other resources to a venture but typically doesn’t run the day-to-day operations. A manager focuses on directing work within an existing organization rather than starting a new venture or taking on the initial risk. A partner shares ownership and responsibilities within a business, but the emphasis here is on initiating and owning the venture, which aligns most closely with entrepreneurship. In a manufacturing or additive services context, an entrepreneur might start a new 3D printing service or design-to-production firm, taking on the risks and leadership to make it grow.