The Entrepreneur's Faces

In this dynamic new book, Jonathan Littman and Susanna Camp take us through the thrilling world of ten authentic entrepreneurs, drawn from around the world. They answer the human side of this all-important question: Where do entrepreneurs get their edge? The solution is to know your type. Here we meet the Maker, the Accidental, the Visionary, the Outsider and more. They’re archetypes, or Faces, and readers will be drawn to find themselves in these compelling journeys and take action on their own paths.

Jonathan Littman’s long collaboration with IDEO spawned the international bestsellers The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation, with over 600,000 in sales worldwide in more than a dozen languages. Many of his books have been optioned for film, and his award-winning journalism has appeared in Playboy and the Los Angeles Times. Susanna Camp is the Editor-in-Chief of SmartUp.life. She specializes in emerging tech and design. An early Wired team leader, she also played key roles at Macworld, PCWorld, and Outside.

The ten individuals profiled in the book are each characterized by an emblematic type, people who master challenges with a characteristic approach, and echo the models and behaviors of renowned innovators.

The Types

The Maker: Prototypes everything, learns by doing.

The Leader: Rejects traditional structures, seeks inspirational role models, tests leadership ideas.

The Accidental: Hobbyist mentality, obsessive tinkerer, passionate beyond practicality.

The Guardian: Turns empathy into a lens to better serve customers. Improves lives and heightens human interactions.

The Conductor: Thinks big, undaunted by regulations or limitations. Platform builder.

The Evangelist: Sparks imagination by telling a story, plants seeds for future products, conveys experiences and emotions.

The Collaborator: Embraces teamwork, synchronizes efforts, shares tasks and goals.

The Visionary: Strategic, prophetic. Sees years ahead, understands how the future will build on present realities.

The Outsider: Brings a “beginner’s mind” to reimagine and reinvent an industry or product category. Turns amateur status into an advantage.

The Athlete: Maximizes human performance, finds inspiration in motion. Self-starter who thrives on challenges.