Readers Respond: What Does it Take to be an Entrepreneur?

Responses: 27

By Rosemary Peavler, About.com Guide

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Entrepreneurs share several characteristics. They are independant people and risk takers. Entrepreneurs are driven, self starters who strive for perfection and higher standards. Entrepreneurs are dedicated to their businesses working countless hours to obatin quick and positive results.
—Guest Jason Allen

An entrepreneur is an individual that is ambitious. They want a business that portrays themselves to society. It is a fact that entrepreneurs tend to hire family members to incorporate family ties into the business. I have dreams of a diner for myself and my sister. We would help the community by giving jobs and also we would have employment for ourselves that included our love for one another and for food. An entrepreneur also is someone that is willing to go the extra mile. Starting a business takes sacrifices of time and money. In many cases people are not willing to work many hours for a role of the dice. I say this because any new business venture is risky. If a person is dedicated to what they want, motivated to achieve their goals, and willing to give freely their time then they are entrepreneurs.
—Guest Crystal Owens

To be an entrepreneur, a person has to have their own vision of what business they want to have. This person must be determined, independent, motivated, and have the need for success. It takes a lot of hard work to make a business work and you have to be willing to give it everything you have to make it work.
—Guest Stacey Hanson

To be an entrepreneur, a person has to have their own vision of what business they want to have. This person must be determined, independent, motivated, and have the need for success. It takes a lot of hard work to make a business work and you have to be willing to give it everything you have to make it work.
—Guest Stacey Hanson

In my opinion the characteristics that make a successful entrepreneur start with the individual being ethical in today's business world. Over the last decade people running small to large firms have at some point practiced unethical standards to gain success or momentum in today's business world. These unethical practices may include lying to employees, lying to customers about a product or service, or some sort of scheme to make millions. However, we as business managers working in today's market must be ethical in the way we conduct our business practices. When we are ethical it allows us to gain the trust and respect from customers and gives us a competitive edge over the competition. When people believe we are trustworthy they will continue doing business with us. Also, I feel we have to have the "Competitive Fever" to be a successful entrepreneur. What I mean by this is we have to set "realistic" goals that can be achieved in short term, but these goals must also be factors in our
—Justin_Turner23

To be an entrepreneur you have to see an opportunity. You must be determined, flexible so that you can deal with change, have a clear vision and mission so that you know what your purpose is and can keep it in mind and stay focused, and one definitely has to be motivated so setbacks can be handled along the way. Those are just some of the characteristics that I feel entrepreneurs must have, some of the most important ones.
—Guest Jennifer Skaggs

I believe that in order to be an entrepreneur, you need to have motivation and determination, a strategy as well as a good handle on the concepts of business. You need to know what the market is in your area for the industry you wish to enter and the overall national market of your industry. You need to have a strategy for your business. You need to have money to create the business and so on. The most important qualities are determination. You will encounter many setbacks as an entrepreneur and you need to be able to deal with that.
—Guest Elizabeth Jefferson

In order to be an entrepreneur, you need to have initiative and be hard working. You have to work hard and work long hours to make your business a success. You also have to be able to react quickly to change so that you can take advantage of opportunities that come your way and be able to efficiently take care of any problems that may arise. I also believe that you should be self-disciplined, well organized, a good communicator, and a good leader.
—Guest Jessica Bowling

To be an Entrepreneur first you must have the drive and dedication to pursue a dream or a goal set before you. A good entrepreneur must do extensive homework to find if the product or service meets the needs or demand of the economy. They must have a business plan and model of how they will run their company. An entrepreneur must also know when they step outside their element of expertise and seek help from others; for example a CPA or a marketing agent. Most importantly remember that it takes time and money so an entrepreneur must have resources available to them.
—Guest Shelley Brackett

I believe a person must be strong, motivated, dedicated, be able to communicate well, and be able to embrace change. Without these key characteristics, a person is more likely to fail at starting their own business.
—Guest Bret Collins

To be self employed requires determination and hardwork. Alsohaving the right source of information and education is helpful. http://www.maverickcash.info
—Guest John

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