PurposeDrawing on push and pull entrepreneurship theory, this research investigates how and why social media users become social media influencers (SMIs), a specific type of digital entrepreneur.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a phenomenological perspective and following a process approach, a total of 35 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with SMIs of different ages, follower numbers and associated with diverse areas of expertise. Subsequently, via interpretative analysis of interviewees' narratives and reasons for becoming SMIs, relevant motivations and events were uncovered and described.FindingsThe findings showcase two types of SMIs: “Entrepreneurial Influencers” and “Influential Entrepreneurs”. Their motivations and the path they followed on their entrepreneurial efforts were also uncovered. Finally, based on these findings, a new entrepreneurial motivational driver is proposed.Practical implicationsPublic entrepreneurial incentive policies should consider SMIs as a specific type of would-be entrepreneurs with some advantage in terms of prominence and reputation, which might help them to successfully initiate and consolidate traditional entrepreneurial activities.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to examine SMIs from an entrepreneurial perspective, contributing to the nascent digital entrepreneurship literature.

中文翻译：

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企业家影响者和有影响力的企业家：同一枚硬币的两个方面

目的借鉴推拉创业理论，本研究调查社交媒体用户如何以及为何成为社交媒体影响者（SMI），一种特定类型的数字企业家。设计/方法/方法采用现象学视角并遵循过程方法，共 35对不同年龄、追随者人数和与不同专业领域相关的 SMI 进行了半结构化的面对面访谈。随后，通过对受访者的叙述和成为SMI的原因进行解释性分析，揭示并描述了相关的动机和事件。调查结果显示了两种类型的SMI：“企业家影响者”和“有影响力的企业家”。他们的动机和他们在创业过程中所遵循的道路也被揭露了。最后，