What Are the Common Characteristics of an Entrepreneur?

The characteristics of an entrepreneur include being a risk taker and having self-confidence. An entrepreneur is a person who is highly driven. The individual generally does not require external motivation, and she is able to multi-task. To achieve what she sets out to do, an entrepreneur displays her persistence and pays sharp attention to details.

One of the most evident characteristics of an entrepreneur is of being a risk taker. When a person ventures out on his own and is determined to achieve goals on his own terms, there are no guarantees. The risks that an entrepreneur takes include damage to finances, reputation, and livelihood. For many people, this alone is enough to deter entrepreneurial pursuits.

Self-confidence is another of the readily identifiable characteristics of an entrepreneur. This is often necessary because entrepreneurs commonly attempt to succeed with new ideas. People tend to be skeptical of ideas that have not been proven to work or when individuals whom they perceive as ordinary attempt to do great things. As a result, entrepreneurs usually have to obtain a lot of support from inner resources.

Entrepreneurs tend to be people who are highly driven. Unlike individuals who are accustomed to working as employees, an entrepreneur does not require the threat of consequences to do what needs to be done. Most do not require others to encourage them to act on their ideas or to keep them motivated. A person with an entrepreneurial spirit works toward her goals with a self-generated sense of urgency.

There is usually a long list of tasks that need to be completed if an entrepreneur's goals are to be realized. Some individuals may be fortunate enough to have others to whom they can delegate many of these responsibilities. In many cases, however, an individual must rely upon himself until he achieves a certain degree of success. Considering this, the characteristics of an entrepreneur include being a hard worker and having strong multi-tasking abilities.

These individuals are usually persistent. It is rare to find an entrepreneur who sets goals and achieves them without obstacles. Some of the most successful people have experienced some grave failures. Due to the type of people they are, however, they refused to give up and converted obstacles into challenges.

This reveals another of the characteristics of an entrepreneur, which is being detail oriented. It is generally necessary for a person to be able to identify and focus on slight details if her goal is to be realized. For example, entrepreneurs usually need to streamline costs at some point in their operations. They may also have to concentrate on various technical aspects to identify a small glitch that is producing a major problem.