Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?
According to If at First You Don't Succeed (Random House, 2006), a new book by Brent Bowers, you're a natural-born capitalist if you exhibit all eight of these entrepreneurial traits:
1. Seizing opportunities. Have a knack for spotting and grabbing opportunities that nobody else seems to notice? In the early days of the Internet, many people talked about starting an online auction house. Pierre Omidyar and his collaborators organized a business plan that created eBay.
2. Running your own show. If you've had a lifelong, overwhelming desire to be in charge, you're probably already an entrepreneur. If job insecurity and workplace frustrations are driving you to be your own boss, you might be an entrepreneur-in-the-making.
3. Innovative behavior since childhood. Shoveling the neighbors' driveways when you were a kid doesn't count. Hiring your buddies to shovel the driveways and taking a cut of the proceeds does.
4. Turning on a dime. While many people are intimidated by the unpredictability of the marketplace, you spot angles in every messy situation and can shift direction in a heartbeat -- without calling a meeting or hiring a focus group.
Next: Tenacity >
