By Jeff Beals
Somewhere between 5-to-10 percent of the population is entrepreneurial.
But what does that really mean? Do you have to own a business to be entrepreneurial? Absolutely not. In fact, there are a number of entrepreneurs who frankly are not very entrepreneurial.
In the United States, about 13 percent of adults own some sort of business. Yet not all those people have truly entrepreneurial personalities. Think about it…Half of all business owners fail within the first five years of operation. Even among business owners who succeed, a decent-sized percentage are unhappy. One reason for their misery could be incongruence – perhaps they are non-entrepreneurial people working as entrepreneurs.
Just as some entrepreneurs aren’t terribly entrepreneurial, some traditional employees do have entrepreneurial personalities.
No matter what professional role you play in life, you can be more successful if you incorporate some level of entrepreneurial thinking and behavior into your work. In that spirit, here are some entrepreneurial characteristics you may want to make part of your professional life:
Moderate Risk-Taking – Stereotypically, entrepreneurs have a reputation for taking big risks. That’s not really accurate. Big risks have a low likelihood of panning out. Successful entrepreneurs are moderate risk takers. They don’t shy away from ambiguity if they believe opportunity is present, but they study and calculate before taking the risk.
If you work as an employee in an office setting, the same approach to risk-taking may help you. If you don’t take any risks, you may never get ahead or you may be subjected to a career of perpetual boredom. If you take calculated risks, you’re more likely to advance and enjoy your work.
Tolerance of Uncertainty – Entrepreneurial people don’t have excessive fear of failure. Any fear they do have, they use as motivation to keep working hard. Similarly, they don’t crave security. They can handle living with the unknown. That’s a particularly valuable characteristic, because even traditional jobs are riddled with uncertainty these days. When entrepreneurs do fail, they don’t let it ruin their lives. Instead, they see each setback as a learning experience.
Ego – Entrepreneurial people are somewhat egotistical. Obviously, you don’t want to be an obnoxious ass, but if you’re lacking in confidence, you should work on it. Entrepreneurs ultimately believe they will be successful. They believe hard work is an investment. They use their sense of ego as a driving motivator. It’s one of the things that keeps them focused and working hard even when they feel tired. Entrepreneurs have a “social” ego as well in that they build relationships and enjoy having positive reputations. Even if you’re an introvert, constantly develop and refine your people skills, because working with and through others is critically important.
High Energy – It takes a lot of energy to power entrepreneurial efforts. That’s why entrepreneurial people are full of oomph. If your energy level is not high enough, try changing your nutrition, sleep and exercise habits. Energetic people attract more attention and create more excitement. Similar to energy is perseverance. When things aren’t going well, entrepreneurial people double down and push harder.
Goal-Oriented – This might be the most important entrepreneurial characteristic. The more likely you are to set goals, monitor those goals and be driven by them, the more likely you are to reach the highest heights in your career.
Two Views on the World – Entrepreneurial people are diverse thinkers. They can simultaneously manage tactics while thinking strategically. They can work on short-term and long-term goals at the same time.
Integrity – This might come as a surprise to some people who think of entrepreneurs as ruthless, selfish types, however, the most consistently successful entrepreneurs exhibit high levels of integrity. No, they’re not saints, but they are generally ethical and care about other people. The longer people and organization exhibit consistent integrity, the more likely they will succeed.
So, what can you do to be more entrepreneurial in your work? How can it benefit you?
An entrepreneur is not some super-human creature. An entrepreneur isn’t necessarily a business owner. Instead, an entrepreneur is someone who takes “ownership” of their life/job and uses the above characteristics as a pathway to success.
Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share. Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant. A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”
Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:
“Jeff Beals has presented four different topics at five of our internal events in 2016. At each event, the audience of commercial real estate principals and agents was completely engaged and motivated the entire time. Jeff facilitates his training sessions in such a way that each member of the audience was able to relate and understand how to apply it every day in the field. Jeff is brilliant, and we have hired him to continue speaking at our events in 2017!” – Lindsay Fierro, Senior Vice President, NAI Global, New York, NY
“Your workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil
I’m in Phoenix and had breakfast earlier this morning with our semi-retired sales representative who is doing some continued work for us here. He attended your sales meeting last week and told me that in 43 years of selling, you were the best he had ever heard. Thanks for a great experience.” – Drew Vogel, President & CEO, Diamond Vogel Paints, Orange City, IA
“Our corporate partnership team had great takeaways regarding how to network smarter while also understanding the importance of our personal brand to current and prospective partners. Jeff does a great job weaving in real-world examples and how you can apply his teachings to growing your business and building long-term partnerships.” – Jason Booker, Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships, The Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team
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