Profile of an Entrepreneur

Just a few short years ago I worked as an air traffic controller. Although I loved the job, I hated 'the establishment'. I was perpetually unhappy with the way everything from remuneration, scheduling and the operation itself was managed.

My disgruntlement continued for 20 years.

Had I stopped to consider the true source of my disgruntlement, I might have recognized that my personality isn't suited to working in an organizational setting.

It wasn't until after my Internet business became successful and I'd already quit my job, that I realized that I had always been an entrepreneur at heart.

More importantly, I only became truly happy when I honored my spirit and followed my path.

If you've been thinking about starting your own home-based Internet business, but aren't sure that you have the right qualifications to become an entrepreneur, read on.

In recent years business professionals have learned a lot about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. Although there is no 'perfect' combination, most successful entrepreneurs share very similar characteristics.

In the sections that follow, those characteristics are detailed for you to consider and compared with your own personal profile.

You may discover that the profile fits you like a glove. On the other hand, you may find that you prefer instead to work for those who blaze the entrepreneurial trail. In either case, you owe it to yourself to discover your true path.

Entrepreneurs are:

1. Healthy and Energetic - Starting a business takes an enormous amount of time and energy. Working long hours is easier to do when you are healthy and fit for the task. It's no surprise therefore that entrepreneurs pursue healthy sporting activities in their spare time rather than lounging on the couch in front of the TV.

2. Self-Aware - Entrepreneurs who become successful know who they are, what they are good at and what they like to do. They choose businesses that are based on their fields of expertise or in areas that they particularly enjoy.

3. Knowledgeable - Knowledge is power. To succeed in a particular business you must know all aspects of that business, including your competition and trends for growth or decline. Smart entrepreneurs get smarter by regularly investing time and money in advanced education.

4. Goal-Oriented and Ambitious - Entrepreneurs love to set highly specific, challenging goals for themselves and then take action to achieve them. They feel at 'loose ends' when they don't have a project to work on.

5. Excellent Planners - Entrepreneurs create and follow plans to reach their goals. They know that 'failing to plan is planning to fail'.

6. Highly Focused and Self-Motivated - No one needs to tell an entrepreneur what the task is, or that they need to get going on a job.

7. Independent and Self-Confident - Entrepreneurial spirits are discontent when working in large organizations, especially where their authority and control over production is minimal. They generally believe that they can achieve a better result if they are personally in control of the production process.

8. Realistic and Positive - Entrepreneurs accept that life isn't perfect. When life gives an entrepreneur lemons, he or she makes lemonade. They feel challenged rather than discouraged by setbacks and failures.

9. Willing to take Moderate Risks - A common myth about entrepreneurs is their tendency to engage in risky behavior. Nothing is further from the truth. Successful entrepreneurs carefully evaluate risk in terms of the potential rewards and the realistic odds of realizing those rewards.

10. Perseverance - Small business success is 90% due to perseverance. Desire and determination fuels an entrepreneur's ability to tough out the early days when large investments of time, money and energy bring minimal return. Perseverance is the characteristic that ensures survival during bad times and keeps entrepreneurs focused on the road to success.

Although this is not an extensive profile of the successful entrepreneur, it does provide some insight into the traits and characteristics that these individuals have in common.

So... are you an entrepreneur?

Continue reading here: Quiz Are YOU an Entrepreneur

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