Entrepreneurial Traits

There is a lot of connection between entrepreneurism and professional growth. Not

everyone is born a prodigy to change the world. Each one is different and nurturing
the right skills among the budding younger generation will give them the power to
create innovative ideas and emerge as successful entrepreneurs of tomorrow. So, what
does it take to become an entrepreneur? Is it an inborn talent/intellect or a learned
skill? Not all entrepreneurs are the same, because of their upbringing, social class,
income brackets, geographic location, and exposure to the outside world. But still,
they all have few things consistent, which makes them an enthusiastic personality and
a successful entrepreneur.

Amidst the stressful and challenging world of business, entrepreneurial skill sets acts
as the catalyst for progress. An entrepreneur might not be a type-A personality or an
extrovert tinkering around on projects but he/she surely has the capacity to be his/her
own boss and the business would soar the outcome. There are a few specific traits
present in all the successful entrepreneurs that make them stand out from the rest.

· Passion:

Passion is one of the foremost traits of any successful entrepreneur. They are
genuinely interested in their work and ideas and are willing to go the extra mile to
pursue success. Despite all the trials and tribulations, passion is what motivates
successful entrepreneurs to hold on and move forward towards their vision for the
greater good. They find joy in working towards their ideas and so are always
motivated towards making their business better.

· Strong Sense of Self:

A successful entrepreneur always holds an extremely strong sense of self along with
passion and resilient nature. Having numerous problems to overcome, being self-
motivated and self-confident are the key traits that make most entrepreneurs
successful.

Successful entrepreneurs are sure of their ideas and are able to motivate others and
themselves enough to bring their ideas to life, despite denial/opposition.

· Ready to Take Risks:

All entrepreneurs are risk takers. You cannot succeed in any business if you are afraid
to take risks. But not all risk-takers turn out to be successful entrepreneurs. So, what is
that which differentiates a successful entrepreneur in terms of risk taking? In the
business world where the future is uncertain, successful entrepreneurs oversee the
unprecedented challenges and take risks only after planning and keeping resources in
reserve to deal with the "unknowns'. They keenly evaluate the risks, identify the
hazards, and decide on precautions in case the venture does not pay off. They keep
themselves aware of the fact whether the risk is worth the cost of their time, money,
and career.

· Resilience:

Success does not come that easily. Successful entrepreneurs know how to move on
from one failure to another without losing their enthusiasm and of course passion.
Entrepreneurs have the uncanny ability to get up after a loss and dust themselves off
without giving up, even though it was a drastic attempt. Most importantly, they know
how to learn from their failures and analyze what went wrong and what has to be done
next to succeed again. In short, they are resilient enough to thrive off the negativity
within and outside.

· Highly Adaptable and Flexible:

This is one of the essential traits of an entrepreneur of this age. With the business
world moving ahead fast, being able to adapt to the new changes and challenges is
crucial for entrepreneurs. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who are
flexible enough to make their ideas feasible for the current reality and are willing to
modify/adjust their plan according to the situation/state of affairs. Successful
entrepreneurs are well-prepared to be highly adaptable and flexible to the new
changes in the business environment.

· Confidence:

Entrepreneurs having a high level of confidence can handle tasks even under the most
stressful circumstances. They understand that big challenges breed big rewards. And
so, are able to spot opportunities when everyone sees the possible challenges.
Successful entrepreneurs hold the confidence even when they experience setbacks and
are focused on the finish line and the end reward.

Remember that all these entrepreneurial skill sets are invaluable and cannot be learned
in one go. You need to learn them through your own practical experience and
education. We are sure you would agree that most of the successful entrepreneurs got
their foundation strengthened from their education. When an educational institution
offers a dynamic learning environment that nurtures entrepreneurial skills in students,
they are encouraged to become successful entrepreneurs of the future.

Self-motivated

Self-motivated describes someone who can motivate themselves rather than relying
on another person. Self-motivated individuals use discipline and passion to complete
essential tasks on time, limiting procrastination and producing results. Entrepreneurs
must have a level of self-motivation to overcome challenges and keep up with their
business practices.
For example, an entrepreneur might use their self-motivation to send out emails to
clients after having a challenging client experience that resulted in a loss of business.

Open-minded

Someone open-minded is willing to accept or learn about new ideas and opportunities.
That’s why open-mindedness is such an essential trait for an entrepreneur. If they
remain open to new business opportunities, they could find success in a completely
different way.

For example, an entrepreneur starts a workout-app company wherein gym-goers can

connect with personal trainers. This idea proves unsuccessful, and so they try to start a
social media advertising consultant firm. This business idea helps generate over
$5,000 in revenue during the first two months of operation. Open-mindedness could
mean finding success in an area you didn’t want to consider.

Curious

Similar to open-mindedness, entrepreneurs should also have high levels of curiosity.

A curious mind can produce unique and innovative ideas that provide solutions to
save a start-up company.

For example, an entrepreneur creates an online recruiting network that allows

companies and recruitment agencies to connect with qualified job candidates. They
wonder if business would improve by marketing their site toward colleges and
universities with career center services for upcoming graduates. This idea helps
jumpstart site revenue while also creating a primary customer base.

Proactive

When an entrepreneur is proactive, they cannot only anticipate change but also take
preemptive measures that help them conquer those changes. For example, a self-
employed HR consultant creates their own online course and eBook to predict a rise
in competition across the industry.

Health-conscious

Entrepreneurs tend to lead healthy, balanced lifestyles so they can have the energy to
operate their business ventures. For example, an entrepreneur might make a point to
work out every morning, or they might take a day off to recharge after a long work
week.

Creative

Another trait of entrepreneurs is creativity. Regardless of their business’s industry,

they have to come up with new ideas and solutions to guide their company forward.
For example, an entrepreneur comes up with a unique marketing idea where they
record a video series about entrepreneurship to drive traffic to their website.

Persuasive
Entrepreneurs should have a level of persuasiveness to convince investors to donate
funds and to persuade customers to buy their products or services. For example, an
entrepreneur prepares a presentation to give to potential investors about their
projections for the company’s growth within the next five years.

Brave

Bravery is another entrepreneurial trait from which you can benefit. Entrepreneurs
regularly take risks from the moment they decide to start their business, and they must
have the courage to accept criticism. For example, an entrepreneur puts in their two-
week notice at their nine-to-five job before operating their start-up full-time.

Team-oriented

Entrepreneurs might start as sole-proprietors, but with the right business tactics, they
could soon have several employees working under them. That is why it is so crucial
for entrepreneurs to be team-oriented.

For example, an entrepreneur takes on three other employees to help with sales calls
and content creation. They hold daily meetings, listening to their employees’ concerns
and involving them in decisions.

Youthful

Regardless of age, entrepreneurs should have a young perspective to keep evolving

their business and combat working odd hours. For example, an entrepreneur spends
the evening after meeting with clients all day to work on a new software application.

Humble

Entrepreneurs typically have a humble attitude because they understand the work that
goes into creating and maintaining a successful business and how success can drop.
For example, a successful entrepreneur makes a point to respect others and show
gratitude for their business.

Punctual

Another excellent trait for entrepreneurs is showing up early to meetings and events.
For example, an entrepreneur arrives 20 minutes early to a lunch meeting with a
prospective client.

Humorous

Humorous entrepreneurs can laugh at their mistakes and move on from them. For
example, when an entrepreneur sends an email addressed to the wrong client, they
remedy the situation by sending a second response before getting back to work.