Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style-or Lack of Style

Home
>
Entrepreneur
>
Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style-or Lack of Style

Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style-or Lack of Style

I recently took an entrepreneurial quiz which evaluated my answers and informed me I would do best as a hired hand! So why am I a successful home business owner? Because I've learned to fill the holes in my entrepreneurial style, and compensate for my deficiencies.

Let's start with a list of qualities that might benefit someone working for him/herself:

1. Ability to see the big picture and plan accordingly;.

2. Self-discipline;

3. Ability to use time wisely;

4. At minimum, a moderate drive to achieve;

5. Adaptability;

6. Autonomy;

7. Decisiveness;

8. A feeling of control over your own destiny;

9. Having (energy) drive and enterprise;

10. Motivation to grow;

11. Sense of intuition;

12. Ability to spot opportunities;

13. Perseverance;

14. Problem-solving abilities;

15. Risk-tolerance;

16. Self-confidence;

17. Social skills.

As an example, let's look at John Doe. John has an excellent nose for a good opportunity; he drives his wife crazy with always turning everything into a new business idea. He's not afraid to make a decision and take the risk. He has a huge drive to achieve; he wants to be rich! John is confident that he can accomplish everything he sets out to do.

Then the reality of the rest of John sets in. He's not real good in the follow-through; as a matter of fact, he starts one business only to come up with another, and yet another, idea over and over. He writes up proposal after proposal, and always stumbles over the concrete details, such as turning goals and visions into action plans, and projecting budgets. He starts and stops, never stopping long enough to evaluate and plan ahead for the success of the next venture.

John could benefit from postponing his next decision until he hones his problem-solving skills a bit. He needs to understand where he's gone wrong and plan for success the next time. John also could put his vision for his work and his life down on paper, and learn to use this vision to help choose opportunities that are in sync with his financial and career goals.

John is confusing working hard with getting ahead. He needs to continually evaluate the tasks he is engaged in to determine if he is, indeed, using his time wisely.

And lastly, John would learn a lot from finding a business opportunity that would combine teamwork, successful strategies and skill building to encourage him to apply his abundant perseverance to ONE business until he succeeds.

John can look at this list and see how one strength could compensate for another weakness. If he wasn't very decisive, he could be spared many a bad quick decision, and strong problem solving skills could bring an eventual understanding of the right path for HIM. What he lacked in self-confidence could be made up for with social skills that enabled him to work well with a mentor or a knowledgeable team. Lack of enterprise or drive could mean he isn't cut out for over-the-counter or door-to-door retail sales. But he might shine in the backroom day-in-day-out details of getting a job done, or in website-based business.

Oh yeah...and John could also listen to his wife, and just give it all a rest at least one day a week...

About the author:
Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and business start-up info at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opp ortunity-canada.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Geithner likely treasury pick; Clinton 'on track' (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama intends to name Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, as his treasury secretary to confront the nation's intense economic turmoil, senior Democratic officials said Friday.

Obama keeps low profile in auto rescue talks (AP)

AP - While President-elect Barack Obama publicly sidelined himself during congressional debate over an auto industry bailout this week, he and his top aides quietly prodded congressional leaders to find a solution to rescue struggling automakers.

Neb. lawmakers OK age limit for safe-haven law (AP)

AP - Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law Friday a bill adding a 30-day age limit to a safe-haven law that allowed 35 children including teenagers as old as 17 to be abandoned at state hospitals. The law, approved hours earlier by the Legislature in a 45-3 vote, goes into effect Saturday, and makes Nebraska the 14th state with a 30-day age cap. It had been the only state with a safe-haven law without an age limit.

Germany drops attempt to ban Scientology (AP)

AP - Germany is dropping its pursuit of a ban on Scientology after finding insufficient evidence of illegal activity, security officials said Friday.

Gates would like to add US forces in Afghanistan (AP)

AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he would like to add significant U.S. forces to the war in Afghanistan before national elections scheduled for next year, and that grim depictions of backsliding in the seven-year-old war are "far too pessimistic."

Fla. teen commits suicide with live Web audience (AP)

AP - A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke. Some watchers contacted the Web site to notify police, but by the time officers entered Abraham Biggs' home a scene also captured on the Internet it was too late.

Year later, baby ordered back to adoptive parents (AP)

AP - The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday ordered a year-old boy back into the home of an adoptive couple who had to give him up months ago after not telling the biological family the woman was pregnant.

Lavish 1,800 year-old bronze chariot unearthed in Bulgaria (AP)

AP - Archaeologists have unearthed an elaborately decorated 1,800-year-old chariot sheathed in bronze at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the head of the excavation said Friday. "The lavishly ornamented four-wheel chariot dates back to the end of the second century A.D.," Veselin Ignatov told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the site, near the southeastern village of Karanovo.

Suspect arrested for greasy imprints in Neb. town (AP)

AP - Police have arrested a man suspected of leaving greasy, graphic imprints on the windows of stores, churches and schools in a small Nebraska town. A 35-year-old man was caught in the act by police early Wednesday morning, Cherry County Attorney Eric Scott said Friday. The man hasn't been charged yet, but authorities believe he is the vandal some townsfolk have dubbed the "Butt Bandit."

Knicks set themselves up for 2010 with 2 deals (AP)

AP - The New York Knicks traded Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford in separate deals Friday, parting with their two top scorers to free up coveted salary-cap space for the summer of 2010. Crawford was sent to Golden State for forward Al Harrington. Hours later, Randolph was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers along with reserve guard Mardy Collins for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Obama moves to pick Timothy Geithner for Treasury (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Friday moved toward nominating Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with helping pull the United States out of an economic nosedive.

Obama may consider Lawrence Summers as Fed chief: Democrat (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama may consider Lawrence Summers as a successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose term expires in January 2010, a Democratic source told Reuters on Friday.

Citigroup talking to U.S. government as shares dive: source (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.

GM cuts output, jets as U.S. demands turnaround plans (Reuters)

Reuters - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.

Wall Street stages late rally on Geithner news (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.

U.S. eyes "surge" of over 20,000 for Afghanistan (Reuters)

Reuters - The Pentagon is considering a plan to send more than 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months to help safeguard elections and quell rising Taliban violence, officials said on Friday.

Bush, Hu discuss North Korea ahead of APEC summit (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush held talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program with Chinese leader Hu Jintao on Friday, the first in a series of meetings U.S. officials hope will lead to a renewal of six-party talks by early December.

Iran rejects U.S. reports it has basis for atom bomb (Reuters)

Reuters - Iran rejected Friday U.S. reports it had enriched enough uranium to make an atom bomb, saying this would require steps it had ruled out like ejecting U.N. inspectors and leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Obama readies economic team as global recession fears rise (AFP)

AFP - The economic team of US president-elect Barack Obama came into view as fears mounted on the global financial crisis and more mass job cuts loomed worldwide.

Bush bows out, China assertive at APEC summit (AFP)

AFP - US President George W. Bush began Friday his last scheduled foreign trip, meeting the leader of increasingly important China ahead of a summit aimed at containing a spiraling financial crisis.

Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style-or Lack of Style

Entrepreneur Entrepreneur