Consultant vs. Independent Contractor vs. Freelancer vs. Entrepreneur

What’s in a name?  What do you call yourself if you are an ‘independent’? 

I’m not talking about the official terminology (like being a sole proprietor), but what attitude do you have about your work (when you are an independent).

Some people say, a ‘contractor’ is basically (and unofficially) a hired short term employee where a ‘consultant’ is more than that.  Kind of fuzzy isn’t it?  How about a freelancer? 

If you read the four linked definitions mentioned at the beginning of this entry you’ll probably come to the conclusion that technically they are all the same (or can be).  So it really comes down to attitude.  Here is my attempt at defining the terms in a round about way:

Independent Consultant
Someone with a respectable reputation in their industry.  They have usually worked hard for many years to get to their ‘consultant’ level.  They make a living doing what they love to do … in fact they have to love what they do or they wouldn’t have gotten to this level.

Independent Contractor
Someone with experience but not necessarily a well known reputation in their industry yet.  Contractors can either love what they do or just make good money doing what they know … it is a mixed bag.  Some ‘contractors’ are budding Consultants or Entrepreneurs.

Freelancer
A free spirited creative personality … who is really either a contractor or consultant.  They use the freelancer term because it doesn’t sound as stuffy (consultant) or constraining (contractor). 

Entrepreneur
Someone who wants to start a business and see it grow.  They like the idea of flying by the seat their  pants and making things up as they go, when they need to.