Want to invoke the entrepreneur mindset? It’s not about ruthlessness or hurling yourself into space.
Entrepreneurs are often dubbed a weird breed of the human race. But entrepreneurial spirit isn’t all innate talent and nature – you can learn it. Here’s the 9 character traits of successful entrepreneurs that you can manifest for yourself.
Entrepreneur trait #1: Optimistic
Entrepreneurs believe in two things: no limits, and endless opportunities. They’re the can-do people, who only ever ask “why not?”.
Entrepreneurs embrace self-belief, sprinkled with the fundamental faith that it can be done. Optimism is a mindset thing. You can learn it, and you can grow it.
How to work on your optimism:
- Celebrate your wins, however small.
- Listen to motivational speeches or big yourself up in the mirror really, even if it seems cheesy at first.
- Learn to meditate or embrace other activities that calm your mind and keep you grounded.
- Find emotional outlets for when you’re having a bad day. Perhaps create a self-care menu of things you can do for yourself.
- Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle: nutritious food, good sleep, and daily movement/exercise.
Entrepreneur trait #2: Passionate
Your business is an engine. Your belief in changing the world is the fuel.
Entrepreneurs embody passion. Some entrepreneurs may have worked in a dozen different industries, and yet their passion for each business is the same.
This passion often comes from something bigger than the product or service they’re selling – it’s the big vision. They’re ambitious dreamers, and it’s usually this passion that drives them to be so self-motivated.
How to work on your passion:
- Spend time thinking about your vision and your purpose. Ask yourself: “If the world truly is my oyster and anything is possible, what would this world look like?”
Entrepreneur trait #3: Curious
Entrepreneurs are nosy. They want to know everything and are always looking at ways to do things differently – and better.
Most businesses are born out of someone questioning the status quo and not accepting it. Founders innovate their solutions to any given problem, even if it seems disruptive. They thrive on doing things differently.
Entrepreneurs also know what they don’t know, and fill the gaps as required – either with the right-skilled people or the information they’re missing.
This is probably the easiest characteristic to invoke. All you need to do is poke your head out, get out of your shell, and get curious by asking questions.
How to work on your curiosity
- Start small by planning a few questions to ask people you already meet day-to-day, such as your local shopkeeper or postie, so that you can build your confidence in speaking to strangers.
- Be sure to ask them for their opinions on why things work a certain way or how they would do things differently. As you gain confidence, keep asking
Entrepreneur trait #4: Risk takers
Successful business founders and entrepreneurs probably take more risks than most people. they tend to have a high tolerance for danger, challenge, and uncertainty. They’re always thinking about their next move. But only take calculated risks – even if it doesn’t seem that way to onlookers.
How to work on your approach to risk:
- Write down what risks you’ve taken in the past, and how they turned out.
- It could be as simple as looking at how you play a game of Monopoly, whether you buy everything and immediately put houses and hotels, or wait until you have more cash. This’ll allow you to better understand your appetite for risk.
- You can then look at what risks you are willing to take in real-life scenarios, and consider how much and what you are willing to lose.
Entrepreneur trait #5: Action, not words
Successful entrepreneurs are rarely idle. They’re often found rolling up their sleeves and testing new ideas. They tend to ask for permission or feedback only after they’ve acted – knowing that inaction is tantamount to accepting the status quo they’re trying to change.
Entrepreneurs are clever with their time, staying organised so that they can always stay on track and in sight of their goals. Having a daily routine and schedule in place that’s easy to follow is the best way to encourage constant action.
How to work on your action-taking:
- Define your long and short-term goals and create your plan: a daily ‘doing’ system, organising your calendar accordingly. See how to manage when your motivation is at an all-time low.
Entrepreneur trait #6: Decisive and agile
Entrepreneurs are decisive. They’re able to make decisions quickly yet considerately, identifying what information they need to make it. They’re good at trusting their gut in situations, navigating the world with both instinct and information.
Decisions are rarely made from a place of fear. Successful entrepreneurs think critically, taking time to analyse and evaluate situations, often playing out different scenarios in their heads.
Not all decisions will be right, but their quickness to respond often gives them the upper hand. Entrepreneurs are happier to keep evolving and improving than staying comfortable.
Your business will only truly succeed if you are agile and have the willingness to adapt. When challenges do occur, you can learn to be motivated by them, rather than scared of them.
How to work on your agility and decisiveness
- Pay attention to how you currently make decisions, even in simple life situations such as choosing what to have for lunch, how to spend your Sunday afternoon, or picking new office furniture.
- If you find yourself dithering or doubtful, set a timer and give yourself a deadline for making that decision. Remind yourself that whatever decision you’ve made is right for now and try not to dwell.
Entrepreneur trait #7: Resourceful
In the early days of Stagecoach, its millionaire co-founder Ann Gloag would make hundreds of sandwiches to give out for free on her city-hopper buses. As a result, Stagecoach customers felt valued on long journeys and so the company had a USP compared to the competition.
Successful entrepreneurs make do with what they’ve got, while still maintaining an unwavering sense of abundance. They tend to have faith that what they need to grow will come when they need it, but they never find limits to getting started with what they have or mucking in when they need to.
How to work on being resourceful:
- Write down your transferable skills and then think about how these could be applied to your business as a resource.
Entrepreneur trait #8: Patient and persevering
Entrepreneurs have a terrible reputation for being impatient and belligerent, but the successful ones are incredibly patient, waiting for contracts to get signed, invoices to get paid, prototypes to work, and for PPC and SEO campaigns to garner results.
When things don’t go to plan, entrepreneurs don’t give up – sometimes it makes them even more determined! They’ll go back to their big vision to remind themselves of their reason for starting in the first place.
View each experience as a learning opportunity. Accept that setbacks happen, but that they’re only temporary.
How to work on your patience and perseverance:
Write down the areas in your business where you can afford to be patient, and the areas in which you can’t. This will help you gain perspective and realise not everything needs to be done right now!
Have we covered all the qualities of a successful business founder and entrepreneur? Or are we missing some? Let us know in the Founder’s Hub community!
