10 Signs You Are an Entrepreneur

I get asked the question “can you be trained to be an entrepreneur?” all the time. The answer is yes and no. Obviously some of us just have an innate feeling and need to be our own boss but I think given knowledge, coaching and a strong desire or passion anyone can be an entrepreneur.

Sometimes it’s born out of need, sometime it is opportunistic or maybe it’s the only option.

The young twenty-something kid right out of school isn’t likely to have the life knowledge or other skills to open a business but there are exceptions. Zuckerberg and Mark Cuban come to mind.

The man tired of working 14-hour days in a dead-end job with no respite will probably be open to any opportunity that comes his way. He may consider the best option, one that provides security with room for advancement. Entrepreneurship may not be the right option for him.

A woman came to me explaining that she had six different businesses opened and closed within seven years. She had the spirit and the passion but lacked the common-sense business skills. I trained her and now her successful business marked ten years in operation.

The 65 year old baby boomer wanting to supplement a meagre pension who had an ‘idea’ that came from desperation became an entrepreneur. The stories are endless including the 58 year old man who had ulcers because of his 30 year old jerk business owner and the single mother who had that great art craft idea for kids only a mother could conjure up. Call it opportunity or the only option but they made it happen.

I’ve counselled a client who loved people and who always wanted to open a coffee shop but had nagging doubt. Another client who hated people but thought a coffee shop was a money-maker followed her. The first succeeded the latter floundered and failed.

What they all had in common was a good reason to make a change. It doesn’t make them an entrepreneur – but they did it in spite of an innate DNA.

The ten obvious signs you are an entrepreneur are more personality traits than opportunistic or need based.

• You come from a family of entrepreneurs
• The 9-5 routine drives you crazy
• The “I know more than my boss” scenario
• You see opportunities everywhere
• You love research
• Problem Solver
• You make a rotten employee
• You are able to connect with others
• What job security?
• Passion

I see this all the time. This one is a no brainer because if you are surrounded by entrepreneurs like anything else you will be influenced to be one. Obviously, there are the exceptions to the rule but if you are brought up to think independently like a business owner you are more likely to be one yourself.

After 25 years of running my own business I took a ‘job’ running a business incubator that excited me and offered me a change I badly needed. After the first month I was ready to leave. The strain of being in the office 9-5 was driving me crazy. When I ran into my rarely seen boss who had given me carte blanche to run the operation he asked what I was doing in the office. He said I should be in the community looking for opportunities, networking, and finding ways to support our entrepreneurs. Phew, I dodged a bullet!

It really is tough to actually know more than your boss. My friend the 58 year old with the 30 year old business owner was a classic. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will make a great entrepreneur but it might make you consider the option.

I love hanging out with my buddy, Gerardo. No matter where we go he will analyze how someone is doing their job or running a business and how he would do it better. I must find an opportunity we can work together because he has that genuine curiosity that many lack.

When I go to buy a product whether it is a new video camera or a power generator I’ll research the heck out of it, compare it to others, do a pro and con analysis and think about it for what seems days before buying it. There is little room in my mind for snap decisions or impulse buying – hmm, ok so I bought my Mustang convertible in a weak moment.

Being an entrepreneur does often require snap decisions but it also requires a lot of strategic planning and analysis in order to be successful.

I have a friend who is an entrepreneur who picks his businesses carefully. He does, however, have a notebook he carries with him everywhere that has over 600 business ‘ideas’ in it. He sees or thinks about a problem and he figures out how to do it more effectively, easier or for less money.

You might think this would indicate you are just lazy or incompetent but often the lack of a challenge, inadequate resources, and poor management makes one disillusioned. I prefer to think that many rotten employees just need to run the show on their own.

If people gravitate to you, often it’s because you’re the type of person who can put the ‘deal’ together, know the right people or just exhibit that charisma that people naturally follow. Leadership is a profound quality to possess and is a strong entrepreneurial trait.

You wanted to work for X Corp because of the job security. You started young and wanted a good pay check that would make all your dreams comes true – then you were laid off after ten years. I can guarantee that if this happened to you once it will not happen to you again. That survival instinct will kick in and you will be that guy looking for opportunities to run your own business and be the one to determine your future.

If you are the kind of person who gets passionate about what you do then the world better watch out if you decide to be an entrepreneur. Passion drives the entrepreneur. It gets him through the bad times and keeps his confidence up when others express doubt.

So, is being an entrepreneur innate or is it a conscious decision-based direction? Whatever it is it is a life changer for most of us – embrace it!

Gary is CEO of Bizzo Management Group Inc. in Vancouver. He has mentored over 1000 business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs. London-based Richtopia placed Bizzo on the Top 100 Global Influencers in the World for 2018.