3 Top Qualities To Becoming An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are a unique sort.  There are several qualities that most entrepreneurs need.  Here are the three top qualities.

It doesn't really matter if your business is just you, or you and 100 others.  If you've got the stuff to be an entrepreneur, you are joining a very select group of business people.

Quality No. 1:  An Entrepreneur Is A Hard Worker

There is an adage in business that you either have the money or have the time.  And if you've got the money, it still takes time.  Lots and lots of time.

This is essentially true.  But try not to cram all that time into the first month or even the first year.  Recognize that it is going to take a lot of your time over a long period of time, and plan accordingly.  I know some very successful entrepreneurs who built exceptionally strong businesses beginning with only a few hours a week.  Others work like the dickens and see success on their doorstep sooner.

But work it is.  When people ask me what I do, I often reply that I am the President and the Janitor.  And that is just about the truth.

Quality No. 2: Entrepreneurs Are Creative

Going by the book just doesn't cut it, no matter how thick that book is.

A successful entrepreneur will rapidly discover that there are bunches of monkey wrenches just waiting to gum up the works.  It is the creative entrepreneur who cuts through the muck to find success.

"Creativity" is something usually associated with pretty flyers.  But in business it is something else entirely.  It is the ability to find a new market for goods when a large supplier has backed out on a deal.  It is the ability to manage processes so that work gets done on time and on budget.  It is the ability to get $5,000 worth of public relations promotion out of a $100 photo.

Creativity is thinking anew.  Creativity is trying ideas that aren't learned in school.  Creativity is applying a geometry lesson to setting out a new and efficient plant layout.

Creativity cannot be learned.  If you've got it, you know it.  Flaunt it.

Quality No. 3: Entrepreneurs Develop Strong Business Networks

No entrepreneur is an island.  We are social creatures, and that is never more apparent than in the business world.  Join groups.  Go to meetings.  Becoming an entreprenuer means becoming part of the business community in your region and in your industry.

While bootstrapping has become immensely popular the past few years, in truth successful entrepreneurs have always practiced the idea of calling on business colleagues for advice and assistance.  And, the more you help someone else, the more others will help you.  It is a very simple formula.  Don't have time?  Trust me, you do.  You have to find the time if you want your business to succeed.  What might it be worth to you to have a local business person tell you that Community Bank has just opened its coffers to small businesses like yours?  You won't even find that out unless you create those community ties.

As basic as these skills sound, very few people actually possess them.  It is the very rare person who is a very hard worker AND is very creative AND easily develops business networks.  If you are one, congratulations!  You are on your way.