Matt Bandyk postulates three reasons why people choose to become entrepreneurs: money, passion, and independence. Of those three, he argues that not money but “the attraction of the entrepreneurial lifestyle or the opportunity to sell your passion for a living is why most entrepreneurs do what they do.”

Jeff Bussgang at Staying Entrepreneurial asks, What motivates entrepreneurs? This question is particularly interesting when one considers the many open source projects for which developers receive no financial reward. Bussgang posits: “The reward for the entrepreneur is not just about the money – although, sure, they are motivated by the money — but what really drives great entrepreneurs is the ego, pride and feeling of recognition and respect.”