Wanted to share this article I came across written by: By Eve Tahmincioglu
We hear it often: “That guy (or gal) is a born entrepreneur.”
Having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs in my career, I’d have to say that statement accurately reflects a common characteristic shared by many successful businesspeople. Call it the entrepreneurial gene.
Take Richard Tait, co-founder of the company that produced the popular line of Cranium board games. Growing up in Scotland, Tait didn’t just take on a paper route. He also sold bacon sandwiches from a cart with the Sunday newspapers he delivered — and ended up making a killing.
And the founder of Quicken Loans, Dan Gilbert, started a pizza business out of his mother’s kitchen when he was 12.
But while it helps to be born a fearless entrepreneur, it’s not a requirement. So take heart.
Scott Shane, author of “The Illusions of Entrepreneurship,” believes there’s a genetic component to entrepreneurial drive, but he maintains that environment may play an even bigger role. “It’s nature and nurture,” explains Shane, entrepreneurship professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. “People should not worry so much about whether they have it in them or not.”
Rebecca Jennings, owner of online lingerie firm Hips and Curves, never was one of those kids who had a lemonade stand. College career tests directed her to find a secure job with low risk — the highest aspiration her family had for her was to work for the Postal Service.
Jennings spent the bulk of her career working as a bookkeeper for a host of companies and always thought she just wasn’t cut out to be an entrepreneur.
But right before she turned 40, she realized she was “dying inside” and decided to take a chance on following her dream. She started a business that catered to plus-sized women who wanted to wear sexy lingerie.
Jennings took action to overcome her initial fear and lack of motivation, and you can learn from her. Here are some steps that got her started:
- she took a career assessment class at a local trade school
- she took courses in entrepreneurship
- she read “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was,” by Barbara Sher
- she joined a women’s business group for camaraderie
Next, Jennings applied what she learned and launched her online business in 2000 using savings, 401(k) funds and credit cards. The first year, she says, was “terrifying and stressful.” Today the business brings in about $4.5 million annually and she has 10 employees.
Nature, nurture or late bloomer, Jennings’ story proves that while you may not be born with the so-called entrepreneurial gene, that doesn’t mean you can’t start and run your own business. In fact, many individuals like Jennings pick up the key traits of entrepreneurship along the way.
So what do you need to succeed as an entrepreneur?
Find your passion: Jennings struggled with her weight and was driven by the desire to offer larger women choices when it came to intimate apparel.
Celebrate faux pas: The one key trait I have found among entrepreneurs and CEOs of major companies is that they are willing to admit their mistakes and learn from them.
Reach out: I can’t say it enough — ASK FOR HELP! Almost all of the successful businesspeople I’ve interviewed over the years have told me they had a mentor in their corner to get over the rough spots.
Ignore negative people: Don’t let the naysayers derail your ambitions. There will never be a lack of people who want to deflate your entrepreneurial-dream balloon, but the great entrepreneurial minds say “yes” when others say “no.”
Lisa Deliz said “yes” to starting a small business in 2006 after years of being a teacher — even though she never envisioned herself running her own company.
Deliz now co-owns the tutoring service Knowledge College Inc. in Cleveland, which today has seven employees and generates nearly $3 million annually. Working in her favor was perseverance. “I don't know that I ever had the guts to become an entrepreneur, but I have always been a motivated person,” she says. “If I set my mind to something I don't stop until I complete it.”
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