Do you think entrepreneurs are natural born or is it a skill that can be learnt?
I was lucky enough to hear Deborah Meaden speak at an event recently. It was clear that from a young age she was a natural born entrepreneur. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life for some time, but she knew she loved business. The first enterprise she established was a lemonade stall located at the end of her driveway. When she realised that her driveway wasn’t on the busiest part of the street, she moved the stall to a neighbour’s driveway to help her get more footfall, even though she knew she would get in trouble for it. She went on to have a hugely successful career in business.
Recently, a friend told me that her daughters have been making money by selling their unwanted clothes and toys. They grouped together bundles of an unwanted toy to sell and then found a customer to purchase them. When they found more of this toy to sell, one of the sisters intended to give them away for free to the customer. However, the other sister, who was more entrepreneurial, chose to take a photo of the additional toys, advertised them as a separate bundle and offered it to the original customer. Thanks to her, the customer took all three bundles and made an extra £5!
When I was younger, I remember knocking on neighbours’ doors to offer my services as a car washer and dog walker. As a child I loved to make money! I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I studied GSCE business studies, realised a love for it and went on to study business at college. I fell into accountancy as my first ‘proper’ job, progressed with the company and gained my qualifications as a licensed accountant along the way. Years later, I was able to put the two together and started a business using my accountancy skills. I enjoy accountancy but I love running a business! Part of my job involves helping our clients to run the financial side of their business which I find extremely rewarding, plus I have received very positive feedback from them on this service.
Anyone can start a business and employ themselves thus making them an entrepreneur, but to be successful, the entrepreneur must have innovative ideas that differentiate them from the market. They need to have the fire inside them to keep working on new ideas to stay ahead in the game. They must be a great salesperson to gain new clients and always be ready to seek out new opportunities. Running a successful business is not for the faint hearted. It is hard work and requires the entrepreneur to spend many hours working on their business, especially in the early stages.
There are skills that need to be learned along the way to creating a successful business, but the innate drive is a natural characteristic that successful entrepreneurs display. Entrepreneurs tend to be willing to do things that other people aren’t. They are driven to succeed and control their own destiny.
