An Entrepreneur's Character Traits

The following assessment is the result of CEFE looking at several so-called Entrepreneur surveys that measure entrepreneurial readiness or what one might consider ‘having the traits of an entrepreneur’. Much study and so-called research by academics around the world has gone into attempts to determine who is, or who can be, an entrepreneur.

Yet for those trying to put square pegs into round holes, there may be a bit of a glimpse of what it might take to win the title Entrepreneur. CEFE has confirmed that an entrepreneur usually does things a certain way – not always mind you, but often enough to give rise to some striking similarities. These traits detailed below generally identify who is and who is not cut out to be entrepreneur.

ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEUR?

Rate each of the following 11 characteristics using the following scale.

                    +2= Very strong in this characteristic

                    +1= Possess this characteristic

                      0 = Don’t know

                     -1 = Have very little of this characteristic

                     -2 = Do not possess this characteristic / too little to

Find the number that best suits you.

 Creative     +2 +1 0 -1 -2    Take Calculated Risk +2 +1 0 -1 -2    Self-Confident +2 +1 0 -1 -2

Dynamic     +2 +1 0 -1 -2       Like to Lead Others +2 +1 0 -1 -2    Market Savvy +2 +1 0 -1 -2

Resourceful +2 +1 0 -1 -2   Persevere/Determined   +2 +1 0 -1 -2        Optimistic +2 +1 0 -1 -2

          Knowledgeable   +2 +1 0 -1 -2      High Energy Level   +2 +1 0 -1 -2               

Total   ________

Total your score for the eleven characteristics. Add the pluses and subtract the minuses. Your score will fall between –22 to +22. Below 15?

Wait and try another day because if your between +10 and +15 you have leadership instincts that can someday put you over the top.

A high positive score demonstrates you share many of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Negative or low positive scores indicate you may not currently possess or rely on these characteristics. Low scores do not mean one will not be an entrepreneur. High positive scores likewise do not guarantee it either.

One's job, experience, and motivation have much to do with it. One can go from fairly passive to fairly positive on this scale with just the loss of a job. Displaced persons are among the most successful of entrepreneurs regardless of what their prior traits indicated.

Yet, it may appear to some that measuring traits is pointless because even if one has the traits, it does not guarantee that individual is, or can be, an entrepreneur. The reasons are fairly plain to see. When it comes to academic research for example, this simple fact is often, if not entirely, overlooked. It is the question of personal ‘success’. If, for example, an individual tested or assessed has all the apparent attributes of an entrepreneur profile and then fails in their new venture they undertake, the mantel of an entrepreneur can never be worn because the word "Entrepreneur"  embodies the word "Success".

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