The 3 Best Qualities of An Entrepreneur
I’ve had the opportunity to work with entrepreneurs of all types and some are pure visionaries, while others are executors but only a select few are both. But no matter what type of entrepreneur they may be, they all seem to share at least three qualities, and those are the ones I appreciate most.
Every successful entrepreneur is:
1. Courageous
Entrepreneurs are courageous. It takes a lot of guts to go out on a limb, quit your job and pursue a new endeavor. Sometimes it is just a kernel of an idea, but the fact that entrepreneurs lay it all on the line and go out after their dreams showcases a level of courage that few possess and many wish they had.
2. Persistent
Second, entrepreneurs must be persistent. Once you get out there and you have quit your job to pursue your dream full time and after the adrenaline wears off, you begin to realize that the entrepreneurial journey is more like a roller coaster ride than it is hockey stick growth or a linear trajectory. It is when you start to realize how hard it is to build a business that you have to invoke this character quality. Entrepreneurs remember why they pursued this idea in the first place and although many others might not be able to see end result of this vision they have created, they must remain persistent to pursue and push after their dreams knowing that it will only be constant and sometimes agonizing journey before they are able to realize the entirety of the vision they have created.
3. A Little Bit of Crazy
It’s important that every entrepreneur have “a little bit of crazy” in them. I mean, what sane, rational, intelligent person would quit their job to pursue building a business where we already know that 8 out of 10 will most likely fail? It is, however, that little bit of crazy that helps give us the courage and persistence to build our companies. It is that little bit of crazy that separates the normal people from the remarkable entrepreneurs and innovators that help industries grow, that help change behaviors, that create the new markets and access to the future as we know.
If you know an entrepreneur, and we all do, you can probably validate that they have, in some capacity, the above character qualities. And if you do know entrepreneurs, I would urge you to encourage and help empower these above qualities within them. Recognize these qualities are a necessary part of our world and daily lives and without them we would not have some of the amazing advancements in technology, healthcare, and energy. We need more people like this and we need to make sure we are fostering this type of community in which we live. And who knows? Maybe one day you will find that little bit of crazy creeping up in your own mind and there is no telling what you can accomplish with these qualities in your own life.
By: Trey Bowles
Cofounder & Executive Chairman
The Dallas Entrepreneur Center
