To be entrepreneurial in my opinion is not for everyone. The idea and notion of going out and being decidedly enterprising takes a different kind of mindset, one that shakes off tradition. As I considered my personal journey as an entrepreneur and the journeys of those around me, I identified 10 principles entrepreneurs tend to share and have in common that are necessary and conducive to the entrepreneurial minded:
Principle 1 – Entrepreneurs believe in themselves and what’s possible. Every entrepreneur starts with a firm and solid belief system, not just in their concept, product or service, but belief in themselves and what they can do. An entrepreneur sees just a little bit differently from others. Entrepreneurs see opportunities and potential and believe so strongly in themselves they can easily overlook everything else.
Principle 2 – Entrepreneurs consistently and constantly do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality, often working endlessly and tirelessly regardless of the circumstances, negative influences or things around them. True entrepreneurs are just not willing to stop.
Principle 3 – Entrepreneurs are committed to their visions, almost blindly so. Entrepreneurs have strong determination and commitment when it comes to building their vision. They are the definition of persistence. They are willing to fail, and fail, and fail again, yet they get up and keep trying.
Principle 4 – Entrepreneurs sacrifice what others are not willing to. Entrepreneurs make a lot of sacrifices. Almost any successful entrepreneur can share a story of very lean periods in their life. Some of the most successful have hit a rock bottom that would send others running, but an entrepreneur is hardly discouraged. Entrepreneurs make sacrifices and then they make more sacrifices because they are committed and know what’s possible.
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en·tre·pre·neur – a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money
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Principle 5 – Entrepreneurs are not bound to standard work hours. Entrepreneurs are often working at nontraditional hours and in unconventional ways. Entrepreneurs don’t understand standard. They work tirelessly, everyday hoping that something they’ve done will take them a step closer to the vision they’ve outlined.
Principle 6 – Entrepreneurs understand and embrace solitude. Entrepreneurs relate well to the idea of “oneness”. Often alone with their visions of grandeur, their road can be a lonely one. One entrepreneur put it this way, “we walk a lonely and often frightful road. It seems like No ONE understands the stresses, frustrations and challenges we face each day”. But entrepreneurs do it anyway. Entrepreneurs understand solitude, embrace it and move on.
Principle 7 – Entrepreneurs rarely stop at just one venture. I call this the entrepreneurial spirit. Where one might have originally thought an entrepreneur to be unfocused, we can now see clearly that entrepreneurs are creative innovators, who will continue to breathe life into new ideas, concepts, products, and inventions.
Principle 8 – Entrepreneurs relish the unknown and work inside and outside of the parameters they’re given. Of all the people I know, entrepreneurs are visionaries, some more strategic than others, but if truth be told, strategy and business plans aside, each day is a relative unknown. Entrepreneurs bask in the idea that the next meeting, phone call networking event and/or strategic alliance will be the one that makes the difference. Entrepreneurs are a flexible group, comprised of big thinkers, innovators, and do-it-yourselfers that are almost always willing to pursue untraveled paths.
Principle 9 – Entrepreneurs meet challenges head on. I’ve never met an entrepreneur that wasn’t faced with some challenges. To be an entrepreneur is to be challenged, but what really defines an entrepreneur is their ability to meet those challenges head on and to move beyond them.
Principle 10 – Entrepreneurs understand and take calculated risks. Entrepreneurs are rarely conservative. Regardless of how traditionally- minded they might be, an entrepreneur understands risks, not reckless endangerment, but intentional and calculated. An entrepreneur always understands what’s at stake and will put themselves in unusually uncomfortable situations if there’s the slight possibility that they will meet their objectives.
Biz Practitioner
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