Characteristics of Entrepreneurs
List of Charateristics of Successful Entrenepreneurs.
There has always been an arguments about whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Whatever side you belong, there are certain things that are common to entrepreneurs. That is, there are some characteristics which are peculiar to entrepreneurs.
These shall be discussed below. If you don’t possess any of these characteristics now, I like to tell you that it can be developed. Though some of these are not taught at school, you can make them as part of your personal development programme. If you can commit yourself to developing these attributes, at the end of the day you will know that it is worth the efforts. These are what separate the entrepreneurs from other factors of production. As a graduate or an employee, you will be glad to know that some of these attributes are already inside of you; you just need to develop, activate and channel them to the right direction.
Vision
Entrepreneurs have a clear vision about the future. They know what they want and know how to achieve it. Do you have a vision? You need to have a vision for yourself. A wise man once said that if you don’t know where you are going, every road will look like the way.
Skilled
Entrepreneurs are not only skilled in what they do; they possess leadership skill which puts them in a position to motivate other people to work.
Read Also: Benefits of Entrepreneurship
Creative and Innovative
They know how to invent new things. Through creativity, they can make improvements on existing product and make it look as a new product.
Enthusiastic
They are passionate about their business or assignment. For you to be able to convince anybody about your business idea, you can’t but be enthusiastic.
Optimistic
Entrepreneurs are not pessimists. They have positive attitude. That does not mean that they can embark on any kind of business or project and expect it to succeed. They carry out due diligence before taking action. They don’t believe that something cannot be done.
Other Characteristics of Entrepreneurs Include the Following:
Prudent
They are prudent in the way they spend their resources. They are not wasteful. They try to make most use of any available resources.
Integrity
True entrepreneurs operate business and conduct themselves with high sense of integrity. They are not ‘hit and run’ type of person. They are trustworthy and people can rely on their words.
Perseverance
Road to success is full of obstacles and challenges. Entrepreneurs don’t allow obstacle to constitute a barrier to them. If things are not working as planned or expected, they look for solutions instead of giving up or quit. That is why they usually emerge as winners. Winners never quit and quitters never win.
Decisive
Ability to make sound and quality decision is one of the attributes that distinguish successful entrepreneurs. They are result oriented.
Self Confident
They have good self image. They are not intimidated by opposition. They believe that they have what it takes for success. It actually takes confidence to compete in the market place.
Self Starter/Self Motivated
Unlike most of the employees that need to be instructed on what to do before they take action. They use their initiatives to make things work. They don’t need anybody to force them to be productive. They are self accountable.
Proactive
Business environments changes every time. Entrepreneurs don’t wait for time to change them. They anticipate change and quickly position themselves on how to make most of the change.
Dedicated and Committed
They are dedicated to the pursuit of their vision or business. They are ready to give it all that it takes for them to succeed. They are ready to sacrifice pleasures for success.
Flexible
Even though they usually have plans of what to do, they are flexible enough to quickly make adjustments when necessary.
Networking
They are able to network among friends, colleagues and other professionals. They know how to create strategic alliance.
Risk and Reward
Entrepreneurs are good risk takers. They understand that before you can enjoy reward, certain degree of risk will be involved. Unlike employees who are not ready to take any risk. Employees like to remain in their comfort zone even when the comfort zone is being threatened. Employees believe in job security. This inability or unwillingness to take risk is the undoing of some employees. They have forgotten that the only thing that is constant is change. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!