I have recently been guiding a young entrepreneur, and it got me thinking about the qualities needed to become successful in a start-up business.
The first is undoubtedly passion. Passion is everything. Even during the darkest days, when the world seems against them, the most successful entrepreneurs cling to their passion like a drowning person clutches a life buoy. It is their passion that gets them out of bed every morning to face a new challenge when it would be just as easy to roll over and go back to sleep. It is passion that allows them to accept the tsunami of knockbacks and push against the tide of despair. It is passion that keeps their eyes burning bright when all they want to do is close them and shut out the world.
Passion does not come on a shelf. It is not sold in a cardboard box at the local supermarket or bought over the Internet. It cannot be injected into you like Botox. Passion comes from within. It is not forced, it naturally erupts like a geyser from inside.
Then there are other essential qualities such as enthusiasm, belief and determination. Enthusiasm is rooted in belief; if you truly believe in what you are doing – I mean, deep-down-in-your-heart believe – then words of advocacy or defence flow out like a waterfall. You can ignore the yawns, the rolling of eyes, the sideways glances looking for an escape – this is your passion, you believe in it, and you canenthuse about it for as long as anyone will listen.
And as for determination – well, your passion and belief will lift you up when you are knocked down, when you are crawling on your hands and knees, when it hurts so much that you could easily give it away. This is what separates elite athletes from very good ones; they push harder and harder even when the pain becomes unbearable. They will do whatever they have to do to achieve the ultimate success.
This is what it means to be an entrepreneur – a true entrepreneur. So do you have these qualities? Will you keep going when the going gets tough? Do you believe in your idea enough to walk over hot coals for it? Do you love it almost as much as your family? If it is just about making money, then perhaps you need to have that tough-love conversation in the mirror, when you ask yourself that brutal question,“am I really cut out to be an entrepreneur”? Is it is easier to take a good salary and do a good job for someone else? Only you can answer this. Nobody else.
The reply will be deep in your soul. If ‘yes’ comes out quickly, then you are an entrepreneur. If ‘no’is uttered just as fast, then you are not, and there is no shame in this. Not everyone is suited to entrepreneurship. And if you have to think too hard about it, then you are probably not, because there is obviously some doubt…and ‘doubt’ really spells trouble. Big trouble.
The person I am helping has these positive qualities in spades. The passion flares in her eyes, the determination drives her through rough days, she can persuasively talk about her product, and she truly believes she will be successful.
Do I believe in her product? I am not sure yet. Do I believe in her? Absolutely! And that’s good enough for me.
By Ian Mason
