The purpose of this study was two-fold; first, to uncover the social, psychological, and cognitive factors core to the entrepreneurial individual; and secondly, to provide accurate data to be used in curriculum development to fill the existing educational gap that exists in the current literature regarding understanding the inner workings of the true entrepreneur. While studies and curricula exist that address the technical and business aspects of the role, very little definitive data exist to identify and understand the social, psychological, and cognitive factors unique to the entrepreneur. Consequently, this study was structured as a mixed-method, cross-sectional study, exploratory in nature, to gather data from the personal perspectives of the entrepreneurs themselves. Structured interviews were conducted with 15 active entrepreneurs in the Western New York region. Data collected shed light on the intrinsic position of the entrepreneurs in reference to core social, psychological, and cognitive factors directly related to their role in the incorporation of innovation in their venture creations. Numerous trends emerged, among them the presence of a broad social network growing up, the unanimous belief that they were creative, the perception of support for both their creativity and their entrepreneurial activities, and the development of strong domain-relevant skills prior to the creation of new ventures. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]