Not everyone has what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. That said, everyone can develop the traits of a successful entrepreneur; you just have to know what they are and work on your weak points. Though no two entrepreneurs are exactly alike, almost all of them share many of these traits:
Optimism
When you think everything is going to go wrong, you won’t be able to take the risks that are essential for business growth. When things go wrong, you need to see them as learning opportunities. When things go right, you need to celebrate. Find the positive in everything, and you’re thinking like an entrepreneur.
Creativity
Thinking like everyone else won’t get you far in the business world. You need to innovate, find novel solutions to problems, and be willing to try new things. They say there’s nothing new under the sun, but when you see possibilities others couldn’t dream of, you’ve got the right spirit.
Motivation
You have to get up every morning with the desire to achieve your goals. Passion and motivation are deeply linked – when you’re excited about what you’re working on, it’s hard not to be motivated. Find something that speaks to you and pour yourself into it.
Empathy
The ability to truly listen and understand – to customers, to other stakeholders, to the animal spirits. That’s what empathy is, and it’s essential to entrepreneurship; without it, you won’t understand what others truly want and need from your company.
Leadership
The ability to delegate tasks, tell an inspiring story, and help others grow – leadership is many things. You’ll need to draw people into your cause and help them reach their full potential. Fortunately, your empathy, motivation, and optimism will all help with this trait. You’ll also need to be able to make decisions with confidence.
Resourcefulness
You take creativity and optimism and put them together, and you end up with resourcefulness. You’ll face problems – hard ones – and your ability to look at those problems as opportunities and find novel solutions is key.
Introspection
To motivate others, grow your company, and produce results, you need to understand why you’re doing what you do. Our values and motivators change over time, and great entrepreneurs have the ability to introspect – find what is useful and discard that which is holding them back.
A Learner’s Mind
You need to be knowledgeable to succeed. That means you should never feel like you have all the answers. Always be learning, always be questioning, and always be growing.
Risk-Tolerance
Optimism and risk-tolerance go hand in hand – you need to be willing to fail and then look on the bright side of those failures. That doesn’t mean you should blindly take on all risks – moderation is important – but when something feels right and looks right, you need to go with your gut, even if it could lead to some losses.
A Desire to Better the World
This should be the core driver behind every enterprise. You’re not just in it to make money – you’re here because you see that things on planet Earth could be better. You want to improve people’s lives, make processes more efficient, and right wrongs.
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