In an economy featuring too few “hiring” signs, some young adults aren’t waiting to be hired; they’re making their own jobs. Some of them make money too.

“The difference between those who say they are entrepreneurs and those who really are entrepreneurs is whether or not they can turn a profit,” said Caleb Manscill, a BYU graduate who, at the age of 26, has already been involved in a number of business ventures.

For some people like Brad Bacigalupi, finding ways to make money is just what they do.

Whether refurbishing trucks, landscaping or generating leads, the BYU alumnus has a habit of turning ideas into money.

“The reason it’s worked out like that is because I’ve had the really horrible dead-end jobs, so I learned to get out of them and take responsibility,” Bacigalupi said.

Some people have an easier time than others crossing that bridge.

“There are people who have good ideas but they’re just not the kind of person to launch it,” Manscill said.

Many people involved with entrepreneurism see common denominators among the right people to launch ideas.

“The ones who see great harvest from their efforts are the ones who don’t care about the money,” Manscill said. “They just want to succeed.”

Optimism is another common characteristic.

“The most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who are incredibly optimistic and love to live,” said Jason Linford, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., who has been involved with multiple startups. “This inspires others and keeps you open to new ideas.”

Manscill agreed.

“If it goes bad, it’s not bad,” he said. “[They] could be in a hurricane with razorblades flying around them and they will tell you how it’ll all work out.”

Still, optimism does not equal recklessness.

“People think entrepreneurs are huge risk takers, but they are really risk understanders,” Bacigalupi said.

Many of today’s ventures come from young people, as is evident by the fact college students started some of today’s most well known companies including Facebook, Napster, Dell, Microsoft, FedEx and Google.

Omniture, which was started by a BYU student, is another example of a successful college venture.

“The greatest thing college students have going for them is that they have time to fail,” Linford said. “You cannot become a good entrepreneur if you’re not open to failure.”

They also have less to lose.

“It helps to have lower risk and not have a family yet,” Bacigalupi said. “If I had a family, it would be a lot scarier.”

For some people, the idea of building a business is scary no matter what age they are, but that may be because they’ve never tried.

“The best way to learn business is to start your own business,” Manscill said.

For those that decide to try, other people usually turn out to be a valuable resource.

Recognizing this, Linford started a weekly dinner with some entrepreneur friends to help each other succeed.

“We had such a variety of businesses that we really did encompass great perspective on world markets,” Linford said. “We were also with decision makers that are used to finding solutions to problems.”

Even though having friends with experience is helpful, Bacigalupi says that’s not the most important thing.

“It’s not just who you know, but it’s who you are,” he said. “People have to respect you as a person. If you just use people you’re not a good networker. People need to be able to talk to you. You need to be a good person.”