Do You Have The Right Stuff To Be An Entrepreneur?

Quotes from : NYTimes
Image from : cyberfra

There’s a short but interesting article in the NYTimes Small Business section that talks about the characteristics of an entrepreneur. You’ve probably read these kinds of articles before and you’ve probably been put off launching that super business idea that you’ve been keeping at the back of your mind for years, or you find yourself doubting your abilities because you read somewhere that you NEED to be good with figures to be able to run a business.

The truth is that NOT every entrepreneur has ALL the necessary skills when they first start out. I’ve quoted four of the following characteristics because I believe that when applied on their own or in combination, these traits provide would-be entrepreneurs with the necessary motivation and drive to LEARN whatever skills they need to be learn.

You are self-motivated. Let’s face it: Most of us would rather not have someone else telling us what to do. That’s one of the appeals of becoming self-employed. But as a small business owner, you won’t have a boss to tell you when to get to work. If that’s a problem, keep your day job.

This is the crucial trait every entrepreneur must have. Without it, you will end up sitting on the couch watching soaps when you should be out sniffing out leads or on the web chatting with an online pal when you are supposed to be doing research.

You don’t mind making mistakes. You will make them; the trick is to learn from them and move on. Not everyone finds that easy to do.

No, you don’t have to LIKE making mistakes. Although seriously, after so many years of running my own business, I find that my mindset has changed from when I was a salaried employee. These days when I screw up, I say to myself “Ouch. That hurt.” then “… now what should I do so that I don’t fall flat on my face like that again…”.

Did I have this trait when I first started? NO. It was learnt - the hard way. By making mistakes.

You like to work. Contrary to myth, you don’t need to be a workaholic to start a successful business. Many entrepreneurs find that it makes more sense to establish a reasonable working pace — one that lets them strike a balance between work and their personal lives. That said, don’t start a business unless you enjoy work. There’s going to be plenty of it.

I’d rather be at my computer writing an article or fiddling with a piece of PHP code for one of my blogs than watching movie reruns. I’m not a square. I get a healthy dose of recreation everyday with my kids, but I love to work on my websites. I know that every post or piece of code I write ultimately adds to the overall value of my online business. Other than the sense of creative satisfaction it gives me, I also enjoy the money it brings in for my family and for our future.

You don’t quit easily. You’ll encounter obstacles that might stymie some individuals. You’ll have more success if you are the type of person who relishes such challenges. A dash of optimism helps; it will help you handle the uncertainty that is part of every venture.

This is a bit of a toughie sometimes. Tough times will always poke its nose into your business every now and then. Change is about the only constant that you can count on these day. And when it happens, do I feel like jumping onto a new horse and riding off into a brand new sunset searching for a new challenge? All the time. After running a business for some time, it CAN get to feel like a job. The trick is to always keep your sights on the BIG picture and try not to get discouraged by the little problems.

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