Lahle Wolfe's article Do You Have What it Takes to Become a Successful Woman Entrepreneur? (About.com Women in Business) got me thinking about entrepreneurship in general.
I write about entrepreneurship from a research perspective in Thinking of Starting a Small Business?. Perseverance, initiative, competitiveness, and self-reliance all were rated highly by entrepreneurs themselves as the "necessary" qualities for success.
But I wonder if this isn't a blinkered view, similiar to that of people whose houses have magnificent views that they don't see any more because they've gotten used to them. The entrepreneurs being surveyed may have missed the obvious because its always been there, the obvious being their discernment, their ability to spot a business opportunity and translate it into a way to make money. To my thinking, you can have incredible perseverence and competitiveness, for instance, but if you don't have the discernment to pick out or create a potentially profitable business opportunity, you won't get anywhere. So I would put discernment, along with adaptability, the ability to understand and use current circumstances, at the top of my "must-have" characteristics of an entrepreneur.
But what about you? What do you think are the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur? Add your answers to this page offering advice on being a successful entrepreneur.
More on Being an Entrepreneur
- Thinking of Starting a Small Business?
- Are You Ready to Start a Business Quiz
- Canadian Small Business Statistics on Being an Entrepreneur
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I agree that discernment should be top of the list. I would also add high reserve of energy. I’ve never met a successful entrepreneur who lacked energy. They have energy for their idea (passion) and energy to handle long days and countless hours creating and growing their business. My advice, pick a business you are passionate about and take care of your emotional and physical health so you have enough energy to turn your idea into a successful business.
Vision. What do you want your business to be, how does it assist others and exactly what do you intend to do with the money???…http://www.LikeSoup.com
Check out Project Innovation’s Innovators’ Insights that interviews several entrepreneurs on what their secret to success is. http://projectinnovation.cc/insights/
Also, check out Florida’s Economic Gardening strategy…www.growFL.com
I would also say a passion and dedication beyond the norm – very much needed to get a visionary idea off the ground.