entrepreneurs

Who can become    an  entrepreneur?  There is  no  one  definitive  profile.  Successful  entrepreneurs  come  in  various  ages,  income levels,  gender,  and  race.  They  differ  in  education  and experience.  But  research  indicates  that  most  successful entrepreneurs  share  certain  personal  attributes,  including:  creativity,  dedication,  determination,  flexibility, leadership, passion, self-confidence, and “smarts.” • • • • Creativity  is  the  spark  that  drives  the  development of  new  products  or  services  or  ways  to  do  business. It  is  the  push  for  innovation  and  improvement.  It is  continuous  learning,  questioning,  and  thinking outside of prescribed formulas. Dedication  is  what  motivates  the  entrepreneur  to work  hard,  12  hours  a  day  or  more,  even  seven  days a  week,  especially  in  the  beginning,  to  get  the  endeavor  off  the  ground.  Planning  and  ideas  must  be joined  by  hard  work  to  succeed.  Dedication  makes it happen. Determination  is  the  extremely  strong  desire  to achieve  success.  It  includes  persistence  and  the ability  to  bounce  back  after  rough  times.  It  persuades  the  entrepreneur  to  make  the  10th  phone call,  after  nine  have  yielded  nothing.  For  the  true entrepreneur,  money is  not  the  motivation.  Success is the motivator; money is the reward.  Flexibility  is  the  ability  to  move  quickly  in  response to  changing market needs. It is being true to a dream while  also  being  mindful  of  market  realities.  A  story is  told  about  an  entrepreneur  who  started  a  fancy shop  selling  only  French  pastries.  But  customers wanted  to  buy  muffins  as  well.  Rather  than  risking the  loss  of  these  customers,  the  entrepreneur  modified her vision to accommodate these needs. • • • • Leadership  is  the  ability  to  create  rules  and  to  set goals.  It  is  the  capacity  to  follow  through  to  see  that rules are followed and goals are accomplished. Passion  is  what  gets  entrepreneurs  started  and keeps  them  there.  It  gives  entrepreneurs  the  ability to  convince  others  to  believe  in  their  vision.  It  can’t substitute  for  planning,  but  it  will  help  them  to  stay focused and to get others to look at their plans. Self-confidence  comes  from  thorough  planning, which  reduces  uncertainty  and  the  level  of  risk.  It also  comes  from  expertise.  Self-confidence  gives the  entrepreneur  the  ability  to  listen  without  being easily swayed or intimidated. “Smarts”  consists  of  common  sense  joined  with knowledge  or  experience  in  a  related  business  or endeavor.  The  former gives  a  person  good  instincts, the  latter,  expertise.  Many  people  have  smarts  they don’t  recognize.  A  person  who  successfully  keeps a  household  on  a  budget  has  organizational  and  financial  skills.  Employment,  education,  and  life  experiences all contribute to smarts.                                              . Every  entrepreneur  has  these  qualities  in  different  degrees.  But  what  if  a  person  lacks  one  or  more?  Many skills  can  be  learned.  Or,  someone  can  be  hired  who  has strengths  that  the  entrepreneur  lacks.  The  most  important  strategy  is  to  be  aware  of  strengths  and  to  build  on them.