Are You An Entrepreneur?

When you read about guys who start an internet enterprise in their basement and become unlikely billionaires, or who start a juice company on an island and become unlikely millionaires, you have to ask yourself, “Why not me?”
The career-profile process may indicate whether you’re a potential entrepreneur. Successful entrepreneurs usually are considered to be:
• Visionary
• Independent
• Goal – Oriented
• Highly energetic
• Competitive
• Risk-takers
• Optimistic
• Disciplined
• Persuasive
• Persistent
The mission of an entrepreneur is to provide a product or service that’s needed in such demand by the market place that will be consumed in growing numbers. For this to happen, the entrepreneur must produce the product or services, promote it so the market knows about it.
Being your own boss can be thrilling one minute and terrifying the next. The thrill of closing a big deal one day can be wiped out by the need to pay the rent the next day with no cash in the bank. The hard work of building business can provide financial rewards and self-satisfaction. The financial obstacles and inevitable but unanticipated setbacks, and the resulting loneliness and frustration, will test your perseverance. Running a business, like life, is a marathon, not sprint.

             Can I Afford It?

If you start with nothing, you don’t have much to lose! Most young entrepreneurs start with an idea, a computer, time and few bucks. They do things like live in their cars and use their apartment for office space and warehousing. Once the idea is proven feasible and the market is validated, you can usually find the money you need to grow. In the meantime, family, friends and other associates may be willing to invest in your venture or make a loan to you.
(Don’t be surprised if you aren’t enthusiastic about your venture; parents by nature are conservative and security –minded. It’s more important that you believe in what you are doing. At the very least, your parents may commit to rescuing temporarily if your venture fails.)
You may want to lower your expectations to becoming a micro-entrepreneur. Micro-entrepreneurs typically run very small, home-based business, such as a taxi hire service, home tutor, a maid service or a small scale poultry farm. They don’t expect or even desire to make it big. Of course, the market place may ultimately force the business to grow and prove it to be not only a great idea, but a big idea. (Who ever would have thought that drinking water in a bottle would be a great idea?)
(Source of image: Google Images)