5 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

Not everyone has what it takes to be an entrepreneur - and there's nothing wrong with you if you're not one of them. Different people have different talents, and some people are just not well suited for some kinds of work. Most entrepreneurs would make lousy employees. The key to professional happiness is finding the right niche - for some that niche could be anything ... software development, business consulting, or even a more obscure field of resume writing. The idea is to find that near perfect fit, and run with it.

With that in mind, let's take a look at what kinds of personality traits make for a successful entrepreneurial career.

Successful entrepreneurs have a strong desire to create something new that is all their own. They want, more than anything else, to have command of their own destiny and to be in charge of their own enterprise. Whether it's a cookie business or a billion-dollar marketing organization, a successful entrepreneur is someone who just isn't happy following the policy manual and filing TPS cover sheets - they want to build something new and watch it grow.

Successful entrepreneurs have optimism. They aren't blind to risk or unaware that things can go south, but they believe that with work and dedication it is possible to overcome obstacles. A hardship or roadblock is an opportunity to excel, not something that dooms them to failure.

Successful entrepreneurs believe in commitment. They don't decide to open a business on Monday and then close it on Tuesday because something more interesting came along. They write a business plan that works, do the groundwork to make it a reality, and stick with it. That doesn't mean that they'll never quit if things just completely fail to work out - entrepreneurs generally do have a number of failed businesses in their past. It just means that it takes actual failure to get them to quit or change course.

Successful entrepreneurs are patient. They know that it takes more than a week to develop an amazing new website. They know it takes years to become truly successful. They focus on the long-term, even if the short-term is more exciting or interesting. Entrepreneurs don't ignore the short term - that's where we all live, after all. But they are always aware that the big picture goes beyond what we see today.

Finally, successful entrepreneurs are persistent. Persistence is distinct from patience; patience lets you wait three hours for the venture capitalist to finally have time to meet with you, while persistence is what drives you to call him back seventeen times to get the deal finalized. Recall the parable of the two frogs that fall into a bucket of milk and can't jump out. One frog says "we're doomed" and allows himself to sink and drown. The other frog just keeps swimming - and eventually churns the milk so much that a clot of butter forms, and he climbs up on top of it.

If you have these personality traits, then you have the basics of what it takes mentally to be an entrepreneur. It's an exciting career path, and one that can lead to tremendous success. Keep paddling!