Not Everyone is an Entrepreneur
April 1, 2009 by
Adam
Filed under
Entrepreneurship
A lot of people nurture that dream of dumping the corporate world, with all its regimen and frustrations, and venturing out on their own to run the business of their choice. But the entrepreneurial world is also fraught with challenges, so how do you know if it’s for you?
To help you decide, I’ve put together some of the characteristics which I’ve found distinguish the entrepreneur from the rest of us. There is no good or bad here, just different mindsets. So take a minute, put aside your fantasies, and take a hard look at who you really are. If you recognize yourself in many of these quotes, you will not be happy as an entrepreneur:
1. “I like my life structured with clear decision criteria.” Entrepreneurs do not function well in structured organizations and do not like someone having authority over them. Most believe they can do the job better than anyone else and will strive for maximum responsibility and accountability.
2. “Handling problems causes me stress and pressure.” Entrepreneurs are comfortable in stress situations, and are challenged rather than discouraged by setbacks. They may actually be uncomfortable when things are going well, and are not troubled by ambiguity and uncertainty because they are used to solving problems.
3. “My job is fun when everyone knows and does their job.” The best entrepreneurs enjoy the challenge of an undefined role, and enjoy the learning process as much as success. It’s even better when they can inspire and energize others to do things that have never been done before.
4. “I like to put my mistakes behind me and never think about them again.” Entrepreneurs accept things as they are and deal with them accordingly. They are quick to learn from their failures. They may or may not be idealistic, but they are seldom unrealistic. They want to know the status of a given situation at all times.
5. “Balance and family are important in my life.” Entrepreneurs may devote a disproportionate time to the business. During tough business periods, they will concentrate their energies on business operations, and may stay on the job for extended periods of time. Even at home or at social events, the business is always top of mind.
6. “It didn’t get done today, but there’s always tomorrow.” Entrepreneurs have a never-ending sense of urgency to develop their ideas. Inactivity makes them impatient, tense, and uneasy. They have drive and high energy levels, they are achievement-oriented, and they are tireless in the pursuit of their goals.
7. “That’s not my job.” Successful entrepreneurs can comprehend complex situations that may include planning, making strategic decisions, and working on multiple business ideas simultaneously. They are farsighted and aware of important details, and they will continuously review all possibilities to achieve their business objectives.
8. “I love to get awards for my efforts.” Entrepreneurs find satisfaction in symbols of success that are external to themselves. They like the business they have built to be praised, but they are often embarrassed by praise directed at them personally.
9. “I get frustrated when things don’t work.” Entrepreneurs have a “never, never, never quit” attitude. They are self-confident when they are in control of what they’re doing and working alone. Most are at their best in the face of adversity, since they thrive on their own self-confidence.
10. “Risk and uncertainty cause me to lose too much sleep.” Some of the best entrepreneurs talk about the highs they get from taking a big risk, and the euphoria they feel when they beat the odds. They live for these feelings.
If you are an employee, and you recognize your boss in the quotes, you probably are not a happy employee. If you recognize your CEO or business founder in the quotes, then your business is probably failing. That’s how important it is for the right people to be in the right category.
In my experience, the most unhappy people are the ones who clearly fit in one category, but for various reasons believe they need to be in the other one (entitlement, more money, more prestige, family pressures).
My message to you is do what you enjoy. Life is too short for the alternative.
This is a guest post by Marty Zwilling. Marty is the founder of startupprofessionals.com and for years has provided entrepreneurs with first-hand advice, mentoring and business plan assistance, as a startup consultant. Marty is a member of the Arizona Angels Venture Group, Inc., the Arizona State University Technopolis program, and on the Advisory Board for several startups.
I totally agree, not everyone could be an entrepreneur. Having a business of your own doesn’t guarantee any success unless you work hard for it!
I think i fit the bill as an entrepreneur. I don’t fit it exactly but i hit most of the point.
Thanks for this nice motivational guest post Marty. Those tips are very handy, and one succeed to accomplish them all, he can call him very successful entrepreneur, which is not so easy, as many think.
Nice balance. We who have entered the entrepreneurial world sometimes get a little too evangelical about our choices. It’s very important to take the article’s last sentence to heart … young or old we all only have one life, better not waste it being miserable.
First of all, it is a pleasant surprise to see a real post on April 1st, I definitely like the list you have put up, me speaking personally I would say that the character of person goes a very long way into setting up whether or not they will be successful as an entrepreneur.
I have to say you hit the nail on the head. As an entrepreneur, I think this is a must-read to establish who qualifies and who doesn’t. It could save a lot of money and time.
Great post Adam. Becoming a business owner is the most desired job in the world, yet is the one with the most failures. Perspective, knowing who you are and not who you would like to be is critical.
Funny how many people want to be rich, but how few are willing to do what it takes to get there - Work!
You covered both sides of the entrepreneur/non-entrepreneur debate very well. It’s interesting to note that each side sees the other as foolish. Entrepreneurs see people who work as employees as trapped and squandering their time. People who work as employees see entrepreneurs as needless risk takers and pie-in-the-sky dreamers. Both might have valid points. Out of curiosity, what percentage of people do you think have the entrepreneurial mindset?
Adam,
Thanks for the post. Being an entrepreneur is not easy and takes a unique individual to be able to succeed as one. The fact is entrepreneurs do not mind work; nonetheless, most entrepreneurs want to defy the 9-5. Why? Entrepreneurs want to do what they are passionate about and enjoy life, rather than mke good money and hate their job. Everyone has one life to live, so have a good work ethic, stay determined, and do what you are passionate about. Follow your vision.
First of all, let me say thanks to all of you for your positive feedback! As several of you pointed out, there isn’t a right or wrong here, but some people always think the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” I try to get people to look at things realistically.
@Douglas, as far as percentages go, I don’t have any stats but my experience tells me it is no more than 10-20% are “born” entrepreneurs (if you take a poll, it would probably be 75%). I think it’s possible that an additional percentage move in and out of this mindset over their life, as they ‘mature’, but that’s a debatable issue.
At any rate, you can love them or hate them, but I believe they are true drivers of change in this world.
Great post. This is a great resource for people wondering if this is a career path that would suit them.
Nice post Marty! My response is here: http://entrepreneurenclave.com/2009/04/03/not-everyone-is-an-entrepreneur-are-you/
Great post! I have this internal conflict for my self all the time. I guess the surefire way to find out if you are an entrepreneur is to give it a try.
This is a great post because the lifestyle of an entrepreneur is NOT for everyone. Some people will live much less stressful lives if they work for someone, and do a great job.
The toughest thing about the entrepreneurial path has been relinquishing the family-work balance. Entrepreneurs need to see the list and accept those benchmarks as the cost of success. Entrepreneurship is like marriage: Everyone sells it as bliss; it’s a hell of a lot of hard work and frustration; and then end result/success isn’t even bliss - it’s better.
Martin,
Terrific job! In my business, franchise consulting/marketing, I always make sure that I explain to prospective franchise owners who the real entrepreneur is. It is NOT them. It is the person who came up with the franchise concept, and the system that goes along with it.
There is some entrepreneur related activity as a franchisee, but most of their workday consists of following the plan.
The Franchise King
Joel Libava
@Sharon, @Matt, @Adrian, thanks for the positive feedback. I’m glad to see you were able to reuse some of the quotes to get more input.
@Chris, I like your analogy to marriage - it’s great, but only if you work at it.
@Joel, I’m glad you positioned the franchise business, and I agree it’s not the same thing as starting from scratch. Yet I tell clients that it’s like half way in between, since there are many entrepreneurial aspests to running any business.