What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? These eight innocent words are like loaded dice.
The word entrepreneur immediately brings to mind some obvious choices: Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Melinda Gates has also earned her own place at the table with her philanthropic and global development efforts via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
These folks are true forces of nature.
What landed them in this spot?
Talk to any successful entrepreneur and you will notice familiar traits. Entrepreneurs are driven by passion, not money. According to Tony Hsieh, founder and CEO of Zappos, “Chase the vision, not the money, the money will follow you.”
There is a myriad of research, articles and opinions citing successful traits of an entrepreneur. Most are variations of the same them:
- Passion
- Imagination
- Vision
- Tenacity
- Self Confidence
- Resilience
All packed with determination, perseverance and huge dollop of grit.
Lest you think it a glamorous endeavor, being an entrepreneur also means late nights, early mornings and everything in between. But the rewards of watching your vision come to life and grow supercede all else.
According to Eric T Wagner to be a successful entrepreneur is to, “Think Big and be Bold.” We would tend to agree.
Do you have what it takes?