Quiz: What Makes an Entrepreneur?
Almost every successful entrepreneur is a somewhat eccentric individual. He is usually a very outspoken person, a dedicated leader, an artist and an innovator who is restless in his work.
Do you want to know what the most successful businessmen have in common and if you can relate to some of their characteristics? You can find out by answering the following questions in our simple Yes or No quiz that will help you understand What Makes an Entrepreneur.
1. Are You A Leader?
This is a somewhat a generic question, but a necessary one. First of all, if you are not sure what the difference between being a boss and being a leader is, we have to get back to the basics.
Managing a certain crowd of people is almost an easy task: you have a specific operating procedure and you are bound to honor it. On the other hand, leaders are problem-solvers. Their primary mission is to acquire talent and find a way to focus it. They are risk-takers and good listeners who are always ready to encourage others and get involved personally.
Leaders are born with this instinct. They are rarely egoistic, although some of them could be described as cold-blooded. Usually, they are also great as co-workers, although their status in a company isn’t a decisive factor. Their will for progress is. In the words of Henry Fords, a legendary American industrialist:
You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.
2. Were You Born to Be An Entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs have a very particular set of skills and quite a few habits which are genuine indicators of their natural calling. According to the Entrepreneur Coaching, we can almost pinpoint a specific combination of talents that makes a successful businessman. Here are just a few that you should be able to relate to.
Are you restless and literally unable to sit still? Are you a bad follower and even a worse consumer? Do you have a constant flow of ideas, both good and bad, that is almost uncontainable? If the answer is to all of those questions is Yes, then you might just be a natural-born entrepreneur. Some might consider you eccentric, but true entrepreneurs don’t really care about their general image.
Even Thomas Edison, an eminent American inventor and businessman, was quite an eccentric individual and even problematic as a child. In fact, his teacher concluded that he was mentally challenged and refused to educate him further. Later in his career, he insisted from potential employees to eat a bowl of soup in front of him during their interview, so he could judge their character accurately. We might call him a bit of a weirdo because of that, but this weirdo was one of the most successful and richest inventors ever.
3. Do You Dream of Independence?
This is not a rhetorical question. We all appreciate our freedom of choice, but you should consider quite a few things when you’re thinking about flying solo. You have to be on top of your finances, your team, organize your and other people’s time and what is most important is that you have to be responsible and determined.
For example, Evan Williams, a famed Internet Entrepreneur and a former CEO of Twitter, used to work for several major companies and he is still as independent as a businessman can be. He founded Blogger and co-founded many more applications and websites. In his experience, there is a strict formula that can allow you to gain profit online and remain an independent entrepreneur.
Conquer your self-doubt and stay honest to yourself, no matter how scary certain conclusions may be. To quote Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group:
I believe in benevolent dictatorship, provided I am the dictator.
4. Are You Committed to The Cause?
Did you know that Bill Gates used to work for sixteen hours per day for five years? Allegedly, he even slept under his office desk to save the time on his daily commute. If you are not willing to invest that much time and effort in your company, then you should be aware that there are very few who are in fact willing to do so. Maybe that factor will motivate you.
However, if you are on a constant search for new responsibilities and colossal challenges, not afraid to show your ambition and get involved in every step of the development process of your company, you probably have a great deal of entrepreneurial spirit in you. The aforementioned Bill Gates actually quit college because he wanted to focus more on his work. His associates can testify that he was tireless when it comes to asking questions and building patterns of possible issues regarding every aspect of the company. Even in his retirement, he can’t hold his peace.
So be prepared to put your social life on the side, get ready for some uncomfortable working hours and don’t even try to make plans for a vacation anytime soon.
5. Do You Love Competition?
A few weeks ago we’ve covered the topic of worst startup ideas ever and presented some of the most famous wantrepreneurs and their not-so-lucrative ventures. We’ve also mentioned that as an entrepreneur, you shouldn’t be afraid to draw inspiration from other companies work. In fact, if you recognize great potential in a certain product, check the product’s copyright and patent status, because you might just be in for a treat.
If the previous paragraph doesn’t sound right to you, and you have moral dilemmas about putting other people’s ideas to good use, then you are definitely not an entrepreneur. Take Apple for example. It is one of the largest technology companies in the history and they allegedly stole a great deal of ideas and designs. Although the company is constantly dragged through the courts due to intellectual property infringements, consumers love the products. Steve Job, the former chairman, loved quoting this saying from the legendary artist Picasso –
Good artists copy. Great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.
So do you love your competition? You should, because no matter if you win or fail you will come out stronger and with a few more lessons learned in the process. Plus with a lucrative application of a certain design as well.
6. Are You Afraid of Innovations?
Probably the most obvious question that one entrepreneur shouldn’t even ask himself is if he, or she, is open for a change. Internet entrepreneurs in particular simply thrive on their ability to think outside of the box. Figuring out online services and designs comes naturally to them and we have to mention that a great number of them use the internet of ME to establish their personal brand.
Elon Musk, a Canadian-American business magnate, is probably the best example on how much innovative ideas are of vital significance to entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, it’s hard to follow the footsteps of the greatest innovators, since there is no exact model that could portray how they get all those amazing ideas. Allegedly, Elon got the initial idea for Solar City, the innovative and eco-friendly power company, on the Burning Man festival back in 2004. In his own words, an entrepreneur shouldn’t be afraid to fail as well:
If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.
If Yes is your predominant answer to all of the questions above, then watch out – we have an entrepreneur here. However, if you are still considering your options and can’t decide whether you agree with the aforementioned examples and conclusions – questioning everything is also a characteristic of successful entrepreneurs, so keep that innovative spirit at least.
