Many people dream of becoming entrepreneurs, however only a few brave souls take the plunge and risk it all for a life of freedom and total control. So what are the entrepreneurial traits you should have before you decide to enter into this life? Here are ten traits of an Entrepreneur to help you decide if entrepreneurship is right for you.

The entrepreneur is a starter

An entrepreneur you must be the initiator, someone that creates something new, either an initiative, a business or a company. The entrepreneur is the conceptualizer who takes the first step into making it a reality.

The entrepreneur is the driver

The entrepreneur is the person in charge and the person to look to for leadership. He or she is the one that pushes the team and business forward in spite of unforeseen challenges. The entrepreneur is the one that sits in the driver’s seat, and has the ability to change direction, accelerate, slow down or even stop a venture. 

The  entrepreneur is accountable and responsible

The entrepreneur is ultimately responsible for the destiny of its venture, which can be a company, a project, or any other endeavor. The entrepreneur cannot shift blame unto team members and is the  one that has the highest stakes at the venture, thus the one that needs to be empowered to fully direct the endeavor.

The entrepreneur takes financial risks

Entrepreneurship is associated with direct financial benefits and risk. The entrepreneur is always exposed to the financial upsides and downturns. 

Corporate entrepreneurship does exist

An entrepreneurial approach is not only more agile and dynamic, but also results in a more productive organization. When you provide a strong level of staff empowerment, you create a strong sense of ownership, which results in better outcomes for any endeavor.

The entrepreneur is passionate

This is a major trait for entrepreneurs to have. As an entrepreneur one must possess passion – that inner fire that fuels,  and stamina that drives his or her actions. This superior energy helps to overtake and surpass the different challenges. It injects strength to continue pursuing goals when difficulties arise. Anyone can be an entrepreneur and behave like one – regardless of whether or not they happen to be an equity holder. Ultimately, it’s all about the attitude when running the show.

Doesn’t take no for an answer

An entrepreneur doesn’t take NO for an answer…ever.   Just because they receive a no from someone else does not mean a yes is not around the corner. They may concede but they will never give up.  They will figure out a way to fit a square block into a round hole.

Entrepreneurs think outside the box

You’re must think outside the box to succeed in this entrepreneur life.  Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos said “entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time.”  If you just think inside the box, nothing will ever change.  You have to be willing to take crazy chances.

The entrepreneur must have strong people skills

To succeed in business you must know how to communicate.  Communication is one of the keys to success and every Entrepreneur should demonstrate evidence of this skill. When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook, he didn’t quite have the skills to make things work.  It was more business skills that he needed in the beginning more than money, you can get money anywhere. He needed Edwardo Saverin to be the business and people strength of the company.

If you don’t have people skills you need to find a partner who has these skills.  Someone on your core team needs to have strong people skills in order to succeed.

The entrepreneur must be self-aware

If you haven’t taken the Enneagram test, you should go take it today.  This is a personality test that will tell you what type of a person you are, what career choice would be best for you and what type of a partner you would best fit with.  The test, which is a bit intense, consists of 100’s of questions. It will tell you what type of a person you are normally, and what type of a person you are under stress.

What other traits should entrepreneurs produce? Do share your thoughts with us.