What Makes Someone an Entrepreneur?

Research indicates that most successful entrepreneurs share certain personal attributes, including: creativity, dedication, determination, flexibility, leadership, passion, self-confidence, and “smarts.”

• Creativity is the spark that drives the development of new products or services or ways to do business. It is the push for innovation and improvement. It is continuous learning, questioning, and thinking outside of prescribed formulas.

• Dedication is what motivates the entrepreneur to work hard, 12 hours a day or more, even seven days a week, especially in the beginning, to get the endeavor off the ground. Planning and ideas must be joined by hard work to succeed. Dedication makes it happen.

• Determination is the extremely strong desire to  achieve success. It includes persistence and the ability to bounce back after rough times. It persuades the entrepreneur to make the 10th phone call, after nine have yielded nothing. For the true entrepreneur, money is not the motivation. Success is the motivator; money is the reward.

• Flexibility is the ability to move quickly in response to changing market needs. It is being true to a dream while also being mindful of market realities. A story is told about an entrepreneur who started a fancy shop selling only French pastries. But customers wanted to buy muffins as well. Rather than risking the loss of these customers, the entrepreneur modified her vision to accommodate these needs.

• Leadership is the ability to create rules and to set goals. It is the capacity to follow through to see that rules are followed and goals are accomplished.

• Passion is what gets entrepreneurs started and keeps them there. It gives entrepreneurs the ability to convince others to believe in their vision. It can’t substitute for planning, but it will help them to stay focused and to get others to look at their plans.

• Self-confidence comes from thorough planning,which reduces uncertainty and the level of risk. It also comes from expertise. Self-confidence gives the entrepreneur the ability to listen without being easily swayed or intimidated.

• “Smarts” consists of common sense joined with knowledge or experience in a related business or endeavor. The former gives a person good instincts, the latter, expertise. Many people have smarts they don’t recognize. A person who successfully keeps a household on a budget has organizational and financial skills. Employment, education, and life experiences all contribute to smarts

Every entrepreneur has these qualities in different degrees. But what if a person lacks one or more? Many skills can be learned. Or, someone can be hired who has strengths that the entrepreneur lacks. The most important strategy is to be aware of strengths and to build on them.

SELF - AWARENESS

Emotional awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions and their effects. People with this
competence:
• Know which emotions they are feeling and why
• Realize the links between their feelings and what they think, do, and say
• Recognize how their feelings affect their performance
• Have a guiding awareness of their values and goals

Accurate self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits. People with this
competence are:
• Aware of their strengths and weaknesses
• Reflective, learning from experience
• Open to candid feedback, new perspectives, continuous learning, and self development
• Able to show a sense of humor and perspective about 


self-confidence: Sureness about one’s self-worth and capabilities. People with this
competence:
• Present themselves with self-assurance; have “presence”
• Can voice views that are unpopular and go out on a limb for what is right
• Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures

THINKING EFFECTIVELY.

Our subconscious mind is more amenable to reprogramming.
All improvements in the outer performance begins with an improvement in your mental pictures. When you create a clear positive,exciting mental image, your subconscious mind accepts this command and gives you the words,feelings and gestures consistent with your mental picture. That is why you have to control what goes into your subconscious mind as thought by thinking positively and effectively. Our thoughts are so powerful that they will channel our life unconsciously to the path we desire.

GETTING COMMITTED.

Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.
-Arthur Gordon.
If you want to get to anywhere worthwhile,you must be commited.Commitment is what separates the doers from other people.The truth is;there are usually plenty of obstacles on the way to achieving any worthwhile goal .Hence,a few people get great things done and they are celebrated for it.
It is easy to say things but to commit to them,you must check your heart to see that it really comes from your heart.That is why as a young entrepreneur,you are advised to do things that revolve arround your passion.Michael jordan says "commitment is what separates the god from the great".
To get more commited,try some of the following;
1) Check inside of you.
Before pursuing your goal,check to see if it is from within.
2) Be Accountable.
By making your goals known to someone way before achieving it gives you the drive to wanting to achieve it even when the going gets tough.
3) Quitters never win.
Don't ever quit.Strive till the end.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY.

Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.
John C. Maxwell
Communication is a very essential tool to Entrepreneurs. Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. As an Entrepreneur you must be able to display this quality both to sell your ideas, products, services and lead your people.
To improve on your communication, the following points can help;
1) Be very simple; it gives room for easy assimilation.
2) Be Natural i.e be yourself.
3) Mind your listeners; seek to learn things from them.
4) Mind your delivery i.e using different and necessary medium to pass information.

RELATING WITH OTHERS

According to Theodore Roosevelt,The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.The ability to relate with people and maintain cordial relationship with them while leaving a good lasting impression is a vital quality every entrepreneur must possess to succeed. It is often said that about 5-10 years into people's career,they tend to need 10% of their technical skills and 90% of their relational skills.
These are some keys to help you improve your relational skills
1) Seek to understand people.
2) Practice empathy (always see things from other's perspective)
3) Be people-oriented
4) Keep your integrity
5) Renew your mind.