Exploring the Impact of the Digital Age on Entrepreneurs Born Pre Versus Post 1981

What is an entrepreneur? Merriam-Webster defines an entrepreneur as, “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” What is the digital age? Robert Kormoczi of Times International says, “it has been defined as the information age, the period starting in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent technology introduced. This laid out the first step towards offering the ability to transfer information freely and quickly” (Kormoczi, 2020). Those familiar with the world of business over the past four and a half decades can recall the variety of roles technology has played; the modification and/or advancement of marketing strategy and management style and the motivation of why businesses were started. Entrepreneurs born before as opposed to those born after the introduction of the digital age find themselves motivated in different manners. For example; 1. the manner in which the world around them presents itself, post 1981 seeing technology as a primary means versus pre 1981 using technology to increase efficiency of business practices and customer solicitation; 2. through mentorship and nourishment from the members of their households, pre 1981 inheriting businesses or business practices or having seeded interests in the field versus post 1981 capitalizing on unlimited possibilities and increase in demand; 3. management styles prior to 1981 being selfmanaged, in-person collaboration/teams versus management styles post 1981 using computer programs, remote collaboration/teams. The quantitative and qualitative study demonstrates how the digital age affected endeavors across all generations and show the entrepreneurs ability to continue improving businesses and supporting communities.