By Ann Evanston | WomenCo.

I often hear people say: “I want to work from home,” or “I’d love to be my own boss.” Even better? Some say, “I have a great idea for a business.” But do they have the right mindset? I’ve also heard people say, “I have an entrepreneurial mindset.” But what does that really mean? Do they have what it takes to become not just entrepreneurial, but a successful entrepreneur? Find out here!

1. Are you a risk taker?
You must be willing to take chances, explore new concepts, ideas, people, and places in order to be successful as an entrepreneur.

2. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
Being able to see opportunities and seize them right away — and not later — is extremely important for an entrepreneur.

3. Do you feel fear and move through it with excitement?
Fear is a part of any entrepreneur’s life, but entrepreneurs usually thrive in this environment, even if it feels a bit scary. And, if they don’t, they feel the fear and do it anyway.

4. Are you willing to learn?
Entrepreneurs are not afraid of learning new things, trying new concepts, stretching themselves, and getting out there, because initially they often have to do it all themselves.

5. Do you adapt to change quickly?
The world is moving fast. Technology seems to change faster than the speed of light! And you have to be willing to change with the needs of your customers and technology in your business.

6. Are you self-disciplined?
An entrepreneur does not have a boss watching over them. An entrepreneur has to be able to get up and do what needs to be done, when it needs to be more, whether they want to do it or not.

7. Do you enjoy sales?
Let’s face it — you can’t be in business and be afraid of sales. So learning about sales and how to close business is important. You must also be comfortable with sales and enjoy doing it, because you love what you sell.

8. Are you influential?
There are many businesses doing exactly what you do (or want to do). You have to have the personality and presence that will influence others to want to be a part of what you have, in person and online.

9. Are you a connector?
Highly successful entrepreneurs have a network of connections that they refer to all the time.

10. Are you results-oriented?
Entrepreneurs need to have the ability to know what their goals are and how they are going to achieve them, and measure those successes so they can continue to move to the next level.

11. Do you understand the intrinsic motivational factors?
Motivation is the key dynamic of how you attract people to your business and close sales; understanding and studying it will make you more successful.

12. Are you willing to expand by hiring help?
Do you know the single biggest mistake that a person who thinks he or she is an entrepreneur makes? Thinking they can do it all. Your business cannot grow if you do not eventually get some help! These 12 factors will help you become more entrepreneurial in what you do. Evaluate where you are. See these traits in yourself and know that if you do these things well, your business will skyrocket.

Further Reading

• How to Rev Your Entrepreneurship Engine (0)
• 10 Ways to Save Money When Starting a Small Business (7)
• 7 Lucrative Careers, No Degree Required (8)
• Advice: How Do I Raise Money for a Business? (0)
• 6 Recession Strategies for Small Businesses (0)

Tags: Entrepreneur, Motivation, Risk, sales, small business, startup, Technology

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Economy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.