Becoming successful at business is one major goal every business owner strives to reach. And this isn't achieved overnight. A lot of painstaking efforts are required to make that goal see the light of day. This, however, comes with worthwhile approach to your business. A truly successful business enterprise is built upon certain unique character traits which every successful entrepreneur should possesses.
These traits, no doubt, will help you become the success you've long dreamed of and distinguish you in that chosen business. Most entrepreneurs are visionaries with the drive to get things started and done successfully. They don't just own a business, they run it also with those traits at the back of their mind.
These traits, no doubt, will help you become the success you've long dreamed of and distinguish you in that chosen business. Most entrepreneurs are visionaries with the drive to get things started and done successfully. They don't just own a business, they run it also with those traits at the back of their mind.
Who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is the economic driver of a given nation. He is more than a small business owner; is an agent of positive change. An entrepreneur is one who sets up a business, runs it with a risk and a view to maximizing profit. According to John C. Maxwell "An entrepreneur is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." His desire to manage a business of his own is paramount; he sees entrepreneurship as his inner drive through which success can be achieved.
What's entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship is the art of setting up a business venture with the goal of maximizing profit. "Entrepreneurship is neither an art nor science, it is a practice" ----Peter Drucker It's the doing aspect that makes you a real entrepreneur. You ought to take action. It's a practice not theory.
Following are the unique character traits of a successful entrepreneur:
What's entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship is the art of setting up a business venture with the goal of maximizing profit. "Entrepreneurship is neither an art nor science, it is a practice" ----Peter Drucker It's the doing aspect that makes you a real entrepreneur. You ought to take action. It's a practice not theory.
Following are the unique character traits of a successful entrepreneur:
1. Passion
If you do what you love and love what you do, you'll go fast and far. A successful entrepreneur is passionate about what he does. He's driven by an inner force -- a force to create, a burning desire to bring into existence. That force or burning desire is what propels him to greater heights and ultimately to success. What's your passion? What do you like doing effortlessly? That could be the starting point to your greatness.
As an entrepreneur, what you think most of the time matters most to you. Yes! All you need do is, screw up the courage and take the bull by the horn. An entrepreneur is ambitious to know how to do what and make it happen for himself. He follows his dream and puts his whole heart to it. A successful entrepreneur is smart, thinks differently from other people. What he thinks depends on the goal he wants to achieve. He's driven by his passion to reach accomplishment. A successful entrepreneur turns fantasies into realities.
2. Planning
Developing success strategies ahead of time on a regular basis, is a peculiarity of a successful entrepreneur. Planning helps him forecast the future and know the direction his business should go. By so doing, he avoids uncertainties or risks that may arise in the course of doing business. "Failing to plan is planning to fail, " is a common maxim.
The entrepreneur is focused and is much more concerned about the future of his business. Planning helps him ask questions such as:
-Why Am I in business?
-What's the profitability level?
-Who's the target customer?
-What's my business performance level?
-How do I improve productivity?
-When is it most appropriate to make necessary adjustments?
Most successful entrepreneurs envision their business by setting goals. They think more about what they want and less of what they don't want. They're smart positive thinkers; they think like the billionaires -- how to solve problems. They plan each day with purpose and action.
3. Problem-Solving
A typical successful entrepreneur is a problem solver. The insatiability of human wants and needs has necessitated the growing number of entrepreneurs in our society. In other words, the more societal problems we have, the more entrepreneurs we are likely to have.
Problems are many and range from small to big, natural to man-made. Examples of natural problems are erosion, hunger, Hurricane, etc. Man-made problems include wars, population explosion, air pollution to mention a few. The entrepreneur positions himself to tap into these human problems [and others not mentioned here] which he sees as great opportunities for making money. He believes that in every problem lies a great opportunity, and that one opportunity can lead him to other and even greater opportunities.
Some of these opportunities, however, present themselves in hidden forms. But if you have active business antenna, you could locate them fast and at the appropriate time, too. Successful entrepreneurs naturally migrate to opportunities through problem-solving.
4. Risk-Taking
Many people don't like risk. One distinguishing trait of a successful entrepreneur is the ability to venture into risk. Starting and running a business isn't a walk in the park. While some business owners are scary about risk, successful entrepreneurs take the bull by the horn.
Does the word, risk make you shudder? May be, you'll have to have a second thought on that. This is because, you can't completely eliminate risk in any sphere of life, including your business. Successful people thrive when they're stretched beyond what they think they can handle. In other words, they step out of their comfort zone.
The billionaire class of entrepreneurs have one thing in common -- they take calculated risk! To them, a risk is highly profitable experience. They're willing to face challenges more than anything else. Risk-taking is one of the items on their agenda and is, indeed, what dominates their business vocabularies. Most business owners aren't risk averse. If they were, they would be successful. Shake off your fears and take the risk!
Starting a new business is a risk. Successful entrepreneurs experiment and take chances that may frighten them at first. They use the fear factor to push forward to achieve their goals.
5. Creativity
A creative person stimulates their minds with great positive thoughts and translates those thoughts into physical reality. He believes he can bring into existence what hasn't been or can work on what's already in place and come up with improvements. Successful entrepreneurs love creativity and innovations; they're highly motivated by what they do, welcome and appreciate new ideas and use them to add value to both people and their businesses. Creativity is one of the unique character traits of a successful entrepreneur.
One measure of creativity is the ability to flow with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs flow with new ideas and innovations. They look at the globe through the lens of possibilities. Examples of successful entrepreneurs are Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Robert Kiyosaki, among others.
6. Courage
The ability to continue and succeed in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenge is the life-style of a successful entrepreneur. He's bold in standing up for himself and others, even in the face of uncertainty. He's courageous and confident in his ability.
Most times he has no guarantee of succeeding in his chosen business. But, through courage, he strives to reach his set goal. Courage is the tonic which invigorates him to more energy, helps him climb fast to the topmost rung of ladder of success without fear. "A courageous person is not someone who never feels fear but who fears the right thing at the right time."---Jim Rohn
7. Persistence
Challenges are an open door to greater opportunities. If you make a mistake and give up, you may never be the success you could have been. Successful entrepreneurs neither cling to the relics of their past mistakes nor give up in the face of adversity. If he didn't succeed in the first business, he would try the second or the third. He keeps trying until he succeeds, regardless of how long it takes.
Successful entrepreneurs pop up time and again without relenting their efforts; they're resilient. They visualize failing as a stepping stone to greatness, don't quit rather they push on in spite of difficulties, are determined. Persistence is critical to success.
8. Optimism
The successful entrepreneur believes in the good side of life -- optimistic not pessimistic. He focuses on the big picture of his life and business. He never allows his past determine his future. In other word, he has positive mental attitude towards himself, business and life generally, the odds not withstanding. He believes in himself by developing a mindset of 'I can do it' and a strong desire to succeed. He pursues his dreams everyday relentlessly.
9. Continuous Learning
Continuous learning experience is critical to the success of an entrepreneur. Personal growth and development is synonymous with investing in knowledge. During the course of learning, mistakes can occur. But don't be afraid of making mistakes; they'll help you think smart and grow fast.
"Knowledge is power" is a common adage To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must not be weary of learning new skills and experience to grow yourself and your business. Unfortunately, some of us stop active learning after graduation from formal education [classroom learning environment]. We shouldn't be stuck in our thinking and allow our minds to rot!
Refuse to be stagnant both in career and personal lives, rather love to make progress. Focus more on what works and less of what doesn't. Continue setting new challenges for yourself and look for opportunities to constantly improve. Remember, when you stop learning, you stop dying. Learning stimulates a bored mind, and the successful entrepreneur is constantly on the learning curve.
10. Action
To be successful in business, you must be action-oriented. Action is the last bus stop that defines the route to success. The successful entrepreneur makes things happen by acting upon opportunity. He has the ability to stir up the water a little bit where nothing is happening. He doesn't drag his feet against his desires.
It's human behavior to procrastinate. There's a common saying that procrastination is the theft of time. While this is true, successful entrepreneurs are never associated with delays. They know that delay is more dangerous than the venom of a viper! Therefore, they do one thing every day that brings them closer to their goals. And they do it sooner rather than later. Successful people have developed laser-like focus in completing a task.
The most successful people are those who do things NOW. They never scale their dreams back. They're in the front by starting early. They follow one course of action until successful. They're the first to know when it comes to new knowledge or information. "Be the first to know." -- CNN.
Finally, now that you've known what to do to become a successful entrepreneur, the responsibility rests upon you. Success isn't a gift, it's worked out. Decide exactly what you want and set a deadline. While it's extremely rewarding to be an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship requires hard work, sacrifice, obsession and determination. However, anyone can be an entrepreneur, but not everyone can be successful at the business they do.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur depends largely on the 10 character traits we discussed above. It's equally interesting to note that developing these positive attributes isn't rocket science. With plenty of practice and determination, you'll have them just as the desire to do so spurs you on. "Remember, it is not about what you know, it's about what you do with what you know. Action is the key!" --- John C. Maxwell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Clement Nkem
Entrepreneur, Freelance Writer and Blogger.
Join me here, on www.clementnkem.blogspot.com and learn how to become a successful entrepreneur
Developing success strategies ahead of time on a regular basis, is a peculiarity of a successful entrepreneur. Planning helps him forecast the future and know the direction his business should go. By so doing, he avoids uncertainties or risks that may arise in the course of doing business. "Failing to plan is planning to fail, " is a common maxim.
The entrepreneur is focused and is much more concerned about the future of his business. Planning helps him ask questions such as:
-Why Am I in business?
-What's the profitability level?
-Who's the target customer?
-What's my business performance level?
-How do I improve productivity?
-When is it most appropriate to make necessary adjustments?
Most successful entrepreneurs envision their business by setting goals. They think more about what they want and less of what they don't want. They're smart positive thinkers; they think like the billionaires -- how to solve problems. They plan each day with purpose and action.
3. Problem-Solving
A typical successful entrepreneur is a problem solver. The insatiability of human wants and needs has necessitated the growing number of entrepreneurs in our society. In other words, the more societal problems we have, the more entrepreneurs we are likely to have.
Problems are many and range from small to big, natural to man-made. Examples of natural problems are erosion, hunger, Hurricane, etc. Man-made problems include wars, population explosion, air pollution to mention a few. The entrepreneur positions himself to tap into these human problems [and others not mentioned here] which he sees as great opportunities for making money. He believes that in every problem lies a great opportunity, and that one opportunity can lead him to other and even greater opportunities.
Some of these opportunities, however, present themselves in hidden forms. But if you have active business antenna, you could locate them fast and at the appropriate time, too. Successful entrepreneurs naturally migrate to opportunities through problem-solving.
4. Risk-Taking
Many people don't like risk. One distinguishing trait of a successful entrepreneur is the ability to venture into risk. Starting and running a business isn't a walk in the park. While some business owners are scary about risk, successful entrepreneurs take the bull by the horn.
Does the word, risk make you shudder? May be, you'll have to have a second thought on that. This is because, you can't completely eliminate risk in any sphere of life, including your business. Successful people thrive when they're stretched beyond what they think they can handle. In other words, they step out of their comfort zone.
The billionaire class of entrepreneurs have one thing in common -- they take calculated risk! To them, a risk is highly profitable experience. They're willing to face challenges more than anything else. Risk-taking is one of the items on their agenda and is, indeed, what dominates their business vocabularies. Most business owners aren't risk averse. If they were, they would be successful. Shake off your fears and take the risk!
Starting a new business is a risk. Successful entrepreneurs experiment and take chances that may frighten them at first. They use the fear factor to push forward to achieve their goals.
5. Creativity
A creative person stimulates their minds with great positive thoughts and translates those thoughts into physical reality. He believes he can bring into existence what hasn't been or can work on what's already in place and come up with improvements. Successful entrepreneurs love creativity and innovations; they're highly motivated by what they do, welcome and appreciate new ideas and use them to add value to both people and their businesses. Creativity is one of the unique character traits of a successful entrepreneur.
One measure of creativity is the ability to flow with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs flow with new ideas and innovations. They look at the globe through the lens of possibilities. Examples of successful entrepreneurs are Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Robert Kiyosaki, among others.
6. Courage
The ability to continue and succeed in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenge is the life-style of a successful entrepreneur. He's bold in standing up for himself and others, even in the face of uncertainty. He's courageous and confident in his ability.
Most times he has no guarantee of succeeding in his chosen business. But, through courage, he strives to reach his set goal. Courage is the tonic which invigorates him to more energy, helps him climb fast to the topmost rung of ladder of success without fear. "A courageous person is not someone who never feels fear but who fears the right thing at the right time."---Jim Rohn
7. Persistence
Challenges are an open door to greater opportunities. If you make a mistake and give up, you may never be the success you could have been. Successful entrepreneurs neither cling to the relics of their past mistakes nor give up in the face of adversity. If he didn't succeed in the first business, he would try the second or the third. He keeps trying until he succeeds, regardless of how long it takes.
Successful entrepreneurs pop up time and again without relenting their efforts; they're resilient. They visualize failing as a stepping stone to greatness, don't quit rather they push on in spite of difficulties, are determined. Persistence is critical to success.
8. Optimism
The successful entrepreneur believes in the good side of life -- optimistic not pessimistic. He focuses on the big picture of his life and business. He never allows his past determine his future. In other word, he has positive mental attitude towards himself, business and life generally, the odds not withstanding. He believes in himself by developing a mindset of 'I can do it' and a strong desire to succeed. He pursues his dreams everyday relentlessly.
9. Continuous Learning
Continuous learning experience is critical to the success of an entrepreneur. Personal growth and development is synonymous with investing in knowledge. During the course of learning, mistakes can occur. But don't be afraid of making mistakes; they'll help you think smart and grow fast.
"Knowledge is power" is a common adage To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must not be weary of learning new skills and experience to grow yourself and your business. Unfortunately, some of us stop active learning after graduation from formal education [classroom learning environment]. We shouldn't be stuck in our thinking and allow our minds to rot!
Refuse to be stagnant both in career and personal lives, rather love to make progress. Focus more on what works and less of what doesn't. Continue setting new challenges for yourself and look for opportunities to constantly improve. Remember, when you stop learning, you stop dying. Learning stimulates a bored mind, and the successful entrepreneur is constantly on the learning curve.
10. Action
To be successful in business, you must be action-oriented. Action is the last bus stop that defines the route to success. The successful entrepreneur makes things happen by acting upon opportunity. He has the ability to stir up the water a little bit where nothing is happening. He doesn't drag his feet against his desires.
It's human behavior to procrastinate. There's a common saying that procrastination is the theft of time. While this is true, successful entrepreneurs are never associated with delays. They know that delay is more dangerous than the venom of a viper! Therefore, they do one thing every day that brings them closer to their goals. And they do it sooner rather than later. Successful people have developed laser-like focus in completing a task.
The most successful people are those who do things NOW. They never scale their dreams back. They're in the front by starting early. They follow one course of action until successful. They're the first to know when it comes to new knowledge or information. "Be the first to know." -- CNN.
Finally, now that you've known what to do to become a successful entrepreneur, the responsibility rests upon you. Success isn't a gift, it's worked out. Decide exactly what you want and set a deadline. While it's extremely rewarding to be an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship requires hard work, sacrifice, obsession and determination. However, anyone can be an entrepreneur, but not everyone can be successful at the business they do.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur depends largely on the 10 character traits we discussed above. It's equally interesting to note that developing these positive attributes isn't rocket science. With plenty of practice and determination, you'll have them just as the desire to do so spurs you on. "Remember, it is not about what you know, it's about what you do with what you know. Action is the key!" --- John C. Maxwell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Clement Nkem
Entrepreneur, Freelance Writer and Blogger.
Join me here, on www.clementnkem.blogspot.com and learn how to become a successful entrepreneur
