A friend of mine listed all the reasons why she could never be an entrepreneur. Honestly, some of the reasons were compelling, but none of them would ever deter me. Our conversation got me thinking, “What does it take to be an entrepreneur?” I started thinking about all the qualities that my friends who are entrepreneurs and I share and came up with the following top 5 traits:
Determination: Everyone has fantasies about being the boss, but do you have the drive to make your dream a reality? The level of your success is up to you and you can’t afford to quit-you have no one to rely on but yourself.
Patience: If you get frustrated easily by things not immediately going your way-you will no doubt suffer as an entrepreneur! It is going to take a lot of hard work and working long hours with very little pay off in the beginning in order for you to see results. However, those who continue to keep their focus on the finish line always make it across.
Excellent Time Management: When you are first starting off, you will often find yourself juggling many different responsibilities. However, the trick is to know which responsibilities you are capable of accomplishing and when it is time to seek professional advice from others in areas where you lack expertise. The sooner you identify your areas of weakness the quicker you can get your business operating. Contrary to what you might think-you cannot do it all. Once you accept this you will find yourself having more time to focus on why you went into business in the first place.
Confidence: Many entrepreneurs go into business for themselves because we believe, “I can do this better than (insert competition).” If you do not feel comfortable uttering this statement then you will not survive long as an entrepreneur. If you do not have confidence in yourself-don’t expect others to either.
Outgoing: The only way to keep yourself from being the only one that knows about your business is by spreading the word. It is your responsibility to notify others of your business. You don’t have to stand on a soap box to accomplish this feat either. There are subtle ways of getting your name out there, but you must be willing to network.
I strongly believe that everyone has the following traits, but it is to the degree to which you possess these traits that will determine whether you become an entrepreneur.
