You may have tried to create a company, and it tanked terribly. But how many entrepreneurs really nail it on the first attempt? Or maybe you assumed entrepreneurship runs through your veins but can’t seem to find the motivation to turn your prototype into a viable product.
Add on the responsibility of raising a family and how do you really know if you’re made for the gritty but rewarding journey of starting an enterprise? Here are eight surefire signs that you’re an entrepreneur at heart.
photo Credit: Rose Odengo · @anneodengo
1. You never take no for an answer.
It doesn’t matter what people say or what they think. You are tenacious like a bull dog with a resilience that would make Steve Jobs blush. Instead of a setback you see an opportunity to try something else. You just never give up.
2. Box? What Box?
Your ideas may seem berserk to others. Your concepts take a risk and offer a product or service that most could not fathom. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said, “Entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time.” When you are creating genius very few people, if any, will understand you. But you believe in your ideas and are willing to refine them and execute.
3. You’ve got a competitive edge.
It doesn’t matter how many people out there have already established a similar business idea. You know you can do it better. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin understood that other companies had developed search engines, but that didn’t stop them. They knew they had a better product, and they went for it.
4. You’re passionate about what you do.
That roaring feeling you have in your belly that keeps you going like an Energizer bunny until 2 a.m.? That’s passion. Business looks great when you hear the romanticized versions of Apple and Google’s meteoric rise. But how about those early days with no clients and no money? When your concepts fail, and your customers complain, and you feel like giving up, the only thing that keeps you going is that undying desire to succeed.
5. You’ve got heaps of initiative.
No one has to hold your hand and tell you what to do on a daily basis. You figure that out for yourself. You don’t fumble around waiting for someone to show you how to perform a task or suggest a solution. You figure it out.
You seize every moment. Most entrepreneurs start their days early, as in 4 a.m. early, and work around the clock. If you thrive on putting in double time, you might have met your calling.
6. You’re comfortable taking charge.
You have a plan, and you see it through. An entrepreneur takes charge of what they need to do, however uncomfortable or nerve-racking it may seem. They’re not uncomfortable with persuading others to follow them and build something great. They will do whatever it takes to ensure their dream sees the light of day.
7. You make the most of what you have.
Don’t have all you need? No big deal! You improvise. You get creative. You ask for advice. You don’t give excuses for what you didn’t or couldn’t do. Bottom line: You make it work.
8. You’re not afraid of risk.
You don’t ask for permission. You dive in and apologize later, if necessary. You’re not what psychologists call “risk averse”, but you might be the opposite. When you see a challenge, you want to rip it apart and show it who’s boss. No if’s or but’s about it, you do what it takes to execute your dream.