While we’re all unique as business owners, you’ve got to admit: we share certain characteristics that help us have the drive we need to succeed. Which of these do you have?
1. Determination. Not willing to give up, we forge ahead until we get what we want. Sometimes this isn’t our employees’ favorite of our characteristics, as it can make us “slave drivers,” expecting everyone else to live up to our own expectations for the business.
2. Competitiveness. Ever since grade school, we’ve been in competition; first with others, and now with ourselves. Our best isn’t good enough; we want more. This constant striving for perfection means we stay ahead of our competition in the marketplace.
3. Risk-Taking. As an entrepreneur, you can’t fear risk, because you take it every day. You risk not making enough to pay your staff. You risk losing all your business, should you be sued (that’s when corporations come in handy). You risk utter failure. Yet we still do what we do.
4. Hard-Working. Entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of a little (or a lot of) work. Many of us thrive on 60-hour workweeks (not I). We know that it takes a lot of work to get a business off the ground, and we’re willing to put in the time.
5. Difficulty Disconnecting. I’d bet this is the least favorite characteristic for every spouse of an entrepreneur. We sneak a peek at our email at dinner. We take our computers on vacation. We have trouble completely disconnecting from our business, simply because we are our business.
6. Flexible. As entrepreneurs, we have to roll with the punches. We must be flexible in the face of constantly changing technology, competition, and pricing, otherwise we face extinction.
7. Visionary. We might not all be the visionaries Steve Jobs was, but we have our own creativity that we apply to our businesses. It’s this vision that inspires our staff to want to make the business better.
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