Yes, this is a slightly different take on the 'are you an entrepreneur?' question that I'd touched on in an early post (one thing about blogs, you can write on the same topic a zillion times if you feel like it). I was inspired to revisit this by a recent post of Readwriteweb titled 'are you really an entrepreneur?', mainly because I feel it didn't cover some key points.
The list mentions good health as a requirement for an entrepreneur, and sure it helps, yes, but I've known many an entrepreneur who soldiered on with various and sundry ailments. Determination is what drives the entrepreneur. I also disagree with the requirement to have a unique service or product. Uniqueness is not as important as having something that the market you intend to reach needs or can be convinced it needs - in the way you're planning to deliver it.
The list includes 'willing to make short term sacrifices for long term success', referring to others questioning your sanity. I believe entrepreneurs often have to make choices that are not friendly to their families or acceptable to their friends, which may be why many pundits believe that single, unattached people are more likely to succeed in (read: stick with) entrepreneurship. (An aside: investors like families and other trappings of security in the founders though.) While I personally know of moms who juggled startups and babies and and young guys founding companies when they have just started a relationship, divorces and breakups seem to be common. An entrepreneur can have a stable solid relationship, but it's defnitely not the norm.
Most of all, I was surprised that the list didn't include passion. An entrepreneur is nothing if not passionate about his/her venture. It is hard to create excitement and draw team members, investors and customers to your idea if your passion and enthusiasm don't shine through. You need commitment, dedication, focus, stick-with-it-ness, and the willingness to give up security and comfort for the sake of your dream, all of which means you are passionately convinced that your startup is the right thing for you - make it the only thing for you.
1 comment:
Usha, your thoughts are right on target - I would put "passion" at the very top of the list.
One other thing I would add is great networking skills. You'll need a strong network to help you find stellar employees, early customers, and investors. No one starts a company on your own. Whether you already have those contacts or you'll be forging them as you go, the skill to build a network is key.
Thanks for the useful thoughts!
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