I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!

Today I wanted to take a look at the Top 10  common traits of what a Successful Entrepreneur possesses. It has been proven in many published studies that, successful entrepreneurs have very different personality traits that set them apart. Very different than say a successful partner in a law firm or a high C Level corporate manager. Could you be one of them? I know when I was researching this topic, all of these traits identified below, I certainly could relate to!

Let's see if one of you should be looking at a different career path, or you're the next world changing entrepreneur?

#1 - Vision

This by far is the 1st key. Successful entrepreneurs all have the ability to identify opportunity and imagine something, whether it is a product, service, you name it, that will either enhance or change the world. They have a burning curiosity that presents itself as a singular thought. Then they have the ability to translate that into something that the world or a specific business category, "can't live without!" Generally it solves a common problem or makes things easier in a measurable way, to a mass market.

 

#2 - Passion

To be a success you must possess a passion for what you are doing. Every single successful entrepreneur possesses excitement and belief in what they are doing will change the world in one way or another. They are 100% emotionally invested in their mission. Without this, you will never succeed.

 #3 - Tenacity

Every start up or new business runs into failures on a weekly or even a daily basis! These are what I call, "micro failures", they will cripple most people in a business. The successful entrepreneur compartmentalizes, pushes through and keeps moving forward. They possess the ability to absorb the setbacks, learn from the mistakes and continually tweak and adjust their vision on the fly. 

If you look at the image above, this is NOT what you should be doing! That's why trait #3 is extremely important!

#4 - Confidence/Self Belief

This is kind of a no-brainer, but still essential. The successful entrepreneur possesses almost a crazed view of how sure his invention, service, product will succeed. They overcome any and all negativity, and get particularly motivated when naysayer's tell them, "this will never work"! They dismiss negativity out of hand and push on no matter what anyone else believes. There is no self doubt or even the least bit of looking back asking what if's. That's why many of the world's most famous entrepreneurs are described as "self absorbed" or perceived as "emotionless towards other people's feelings"! It just doesn't matter, their confidence is unwavering.

#5 - A Disrespect For Rules!

Successful entrepreneurs exist to defy conventional wisdom, they thrive on it. They possess what can best be described as "smarts" and often aggressively take risks! This trait often presents itself during their teens. An overwhelming percentage have a history of rebellious behavior such as, smoking pot, continually questioning and disagreeing with authority figures, and living outside the moors of accepted social behavior. Only 13% of the entire population in the U.S. is engaged in entrepreneurship. Going with the majority is not in their nature!

#6 - Flexibility

This is the ability to adjust many times to the product or the initial idea. It could actually turn out to be something that while based on the initial idea, the finished product could be something very different. The product might be unbelievable, but after researching and testing, they may find it is positioned improperly to reach the proper targeted consumer or audience. They all possess the ability to rethink the idea and adapt it to successfully reach the right market. They don't have a "stick to your guns" attitude.

#7 -  Self Motivation

Successful entrepreneurs can emerge at any stage during life. They come from every background you can imagine. The one thing is they are motivated to succeed from within. They don't necessarily have to be highly educated, in fact most are at best average students. Many of them have failed miserably at several ventures in the past, yet they all learn from their past mistakes. In fact there have been many studies that conclude many "A" students/geniuses end up working for the "C" students because the average students have to scratch and claw their way to success. You would think that the type A personality is the perfect fit for a successful entrepreneur. You know the overachiever, hyper-organized workaholic. But studies show that these people are also more likely to not take risks! A must have for the successful entrepreneur. Self motivation is a powerful trait that allows them to stay the course and embrace the risk to succeed.

#8 - Multi-Tasker

Everyone of these people have this trait, and it is a must! On any given day you must be prepared to be the financial guy, the PR person, the marketer, the salesman, the project manager and the Human Resource director. They all have the ability to wear different hats within the same day. It is a necessity if you are to succeed. After all many have no real infrastructure when first starting out.

#9 - A Shameless Self Promoter

 You must understand that in order for you to become a success, you must promote yourself whenever you can, even if it means you might turn some people off. Self Promotion exudes a confidence and results in people believing in you and your idea. People are naturally drawn to leaders, it is a known fact. So anytime you have the chance, speak passionately about your plans and always stay positive. Using "I" in almost every sentence can come off as self absorbed, but in the beginning it was only you! So use it often when speaking of your venture. 

#10 - See The Future

The idea was the platform to catapult the successful entrepreneur into his/her niche. Now the task of staying there is at hand. Once you have successfully launched the business, you must have the ability to stay one step ahead of everyone else. By now the successful entrepreneur will have built a talented management team, invested in technology, and refined the vision. All of them have a measurable fear that motivates them to continually grow and expand. Steve Jobs in 1970-whatever had no idea that a music platform would be his defining moment, he was piecing together desktop computers in his garage with "Woz". The truly successful entrepreneur is constantly inventing or refining things to dominate their category. They know "The Next Big Thing" is on the horizon, and they usually are the one's that ultimately find it!

In closing, I hope you found this post enjoyable and inspiring. Maybe I am writing to the next, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Thomas Edison or even Albert Einstein! 

I am a full service business consultant, please contact me if you are in need of assistance.

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