What Are The Traits Of An Entrepreneur?

Although there is probably no exact blue print for skills, qualities or traits of a successful entrepreneur. It is likely that a number of them all share some similarities. Below I am going to state what traits I think are important if an aspiring entrepreneur is to become a successful entrepreneur. It is important to clarify that if you are concerned you do not meet these traits this is not a cause for concern. It takes a vast mixture of skills to be a successful entrepreneur. On that note I would argue that many, if not all of the traits I am going
to discuss can probably be learnt if you are determined enough. The traits which I feel are important have been listed below:

• Motivation: We are not all motivated by the same things. Motivation could be described as the internal driver which gives us the energy and desire to achieve our goals. Some people are motivated by extrinsic factors such as money. While others are motivated by intrinsic factors such as a feeling of worth and confidence from being successful. As motivation is our internal driver it can have a big influence on whether we are successful or not. Therefore it is important to discover what your motivators are. Ask yourself -What motivates you? Why do you aspire to be an entrepreneur? Knowing these answers could be important as being aware of what motivates you may give you the determination you need to conquer challenges which can be met on the journey as an entrepreneur. If you would like more information about motivation click here. 

• Creativity: It is probably a given but if you are going to be successful as an entrepreneur you will need to be creative. You will need to be creative to generate business ideas and when you have generated a business idea you will need to be creative to increase its likelihood of success. Developing your creative skills will also support you to continue to develop your business idea so that it does not become stagnate. It is worth noting that techniques for creativity can usually be learnt. To gain more information on developing your creative skills click here and here.

• Good at planning: If you are going to be a successful entrepreneur it would appear obvious that you will need to be good at planning. This means you will need to be able to spot opportunities and then plan a strategy to be able to take full advantage of the opportunity. Before you even begin to launch your business idea you will need to develop a business plan so that you can increase your likelihood of success. Planning is also important as it allows you to evaluate potential opportunities so that you can establish whether it is something you want pursue. For more information on evaluating potential opportunities read my post "Entrepreneurs - SWOT that plan!". Further "Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail" also discusses the importance of planning.

• Risk averse: This may seem a suprising trait. But in fact it would seem that many successful entrepreneurs are risk averse despite popular belief. It would appear that those that are risk averse are more sensitive to spotting risk. This means that if you can spot a risk you can prepare for it. Therefore you can plan your business with potential risks in mind. Further to this those entrepreneurs that are risk averse will only risk what they can afford or want to lose. Which means they will not gamble the future of their business for something that only has a chance of paying off. You can learn more about why many successful entrepreneurs are risk averse by clicking here.

• Effective at goal setting: I think that goal setting is a very important skill to develop. I say this as in my opinion it can have a massive influence upon your level of motivation and whether you continue on your journey as an entrepreneur or become disheartened and quit. One way in which you can develop your goal setting and therefore increase your level of motivation is through using the SMART format. This technique is relatively easy to follow. So click here to learn how you can become effective at goal setting and achieving your aspirations. 

Below I have also listed some books which I hope you will find useful in gaining more information about the traits highlighted in this post.