The profile of entrepreneurs in the cultural sector has changed nowadays, considering the strong influence of the new technologies and online tools. Realities have changed and the basic functions and roles of entrepreneurs change as well - in all sectors, including arts and culture.

Social entrepreneurship is not just a branch of the business entrepreneurship, because in every successful entrepreneurial practice there is a social angle. Many entrepreneurs start not just driven by the goal to earn money and make profit, but to solve a social problem, to help the communities, to be recognized and to make others happy. At a later stage of managing and growing their business, many entrepreneurs start giving back to the communities in diverse forms of corporate philanthropy.

Successful entrepreneurs should be strategic thinkers not only doers. Most of the entrepreneurs start by very limited resources and high motivation to achieve their long-term goals. This can happen only if they have a strategic mind, together with action-orientated behaviour.

Entrepreneurs in the cultural sector are not just "sellers of cultural production" but catalysts for business thinking, "bridge-builders" between the audiences and the artists". They should have both an artistic vision and a sense for the arts, as well as business skills and competences. They have a special ability to see a business opportunity in a creative process, and to be able to exploit this opportunity by involving audiences and using innovative methods to multiply the economic effect.

What could we do further:

• There is a need to initiate more research on the new role and responsibilities of young entrepreneurs so that we assist government poilcies at all levels to implement new mechanisms and supporting schemes which match the changing realities.

• It is important to look at the ways to cross the traditional boundaries between the business sector and the cultural sector. In our cultural management studies and research we look at using more and more business and management models in the cultural sector. The "vice-versa" is also important: using art-related models and methods into the business sector.

• We should look at researching, on one hand, the social effects of entrepreneurial practices in the business sector, as well as the economic effects of creative entrepreneurship in the arts and cultural sector.

Watch the short video interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6ojUdl5Bw