Are entrepreneurs born or made? This had been an old battle of discussion. Everyone of us is an entrepreneur in one way or another. We just have to tap deep within us if we desire intensely. Let us define what does an entrepreneur means. The word entrepreneur is originally taken from the French word, etreprendre, which means ” to undertake.” In the business context this simply means to start a business. The Merriam- Webster dictionary defines an entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. It looks to me that not everyone can become an entrepreneur based from this definition. The definition actually varies from which perspective you are referring be it either business, social, economics, political.
Entrepreneurship must be a very diverse subject to discuss. I must say that all entrepreneurs started deep within themselves. That’s the topic that I want to talk about here as I am on this journey of becoming an entrepreneur. Yes I am still working on a job as a mechanical engineer for over more than 10 years already. Its never too late for me to pursue and become a dreamer. I have quite experienced some sort of an entrepreneurial skills developmentin my past 3 years of working here in Singapore. I had my first taste of engaging in a business through forex trading. Then I got involved with multi-level marketing business until I committed to being an online entrepreneur as a search engine marketer.
Here are 3 Keys you need to develop to become an entrepreneur within.
1. Definiteness of Purpose – when I started a network marketing business, we were taught to write down our dreams and goals. Why do you want that dreams and goals? Why is that important to you? Its all about WHY? You need to develop to ask below the surface questions. In any kind of business this should be the starting point of where you want to be even one’s life purpose. Purpose is very powerful specially if you get emotional.
2. Passion – this is the driving force of your purpose. Passion gives you the energy to do what you love doing regardless of time. It drives me to learn things that I don’t know. To express myself openly and to be the best that I can be all the time.
3. Continuous Practice – I have to commit on practicing the necessary skills and traits of a great entrepreneur as much as I can. It took me more than 5 years to become a mechanical engineer and more than 10 years to be an impeccable expert on 3D CAD Modeling. This same practice should also apply to becoming an entrepreneur. I played and practice a lot of times playing basketball almost everyday before. I even imagined making the shots while I am in my dreams. What distinguishes a star from the other performers is the number of hours of practice. A 10,000-Hour Rule was the norm based in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success.
My take is everyone can learn to become an entrepreneur. Read books about entrepreneurship, meet people who are entrepreneur, enroll in a course or even hire a coach.
I need to act like one, dress like them, talk like an entrepreneur, be like one. Then in time entrepreneurship will find me.
“Being an entrepreneur is not a group effort. You have to trust yourself.” – Donald Trump