12 Traits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs By Ajaero Tony Martins Ifeanyi

What are the traits of successful entrepreneurs that set them apart from everyone else? What trait do entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Lawrence Ellison and Richard Branson have that the ordinary entrepreneurs don't? All these questions are going to be answered in this article.
After understudying the lives of these great entrepreneurs, I was able to pinpoint 12 traits that make them successful. Without wasting your time, below are the 12 traits of successful entrepreneurs:
1. Successful Entrepreneurs are proactive learners
Entrepreneurship is a life long process and successful entrepreneurs know this. Things change so fast in the business world; you could be an innovation today and become obsolete tomorrow. To stay on course and adapt swiftly to the ever changing trend, they keep studying and learning.
They read industrial journals, books and magazines. They attend seminars and update themselves regularly with the latest industrial trend. Successful entrepreneurs know that their cup is never full; they know that they don't have the right answers to all questions. So they humble themselves and learn when availed the opportunity.
2. They thrive on risk
I have never seen a successful entrepreneur who rose to the pinnacle of success without a measurable amount of risk. Successful entrepreneurs are risk takers; they risk their time, energy and resources with the hope of building a strong business. If they fail, they risk losing everything they've ever owned. Risk is the main reason many employees fail to start a business.
3. They work for free
Working for free is one of the traits of successful entrepreneurs that set them apart from others. It's hard to find individuals who will be willing to work for free, without pay for many years but successful entrepreneurs do this. They work on their business for many years without pay.
Being an entrepreneur, I can attest to this trait because I have built businesses without getting a dime from them for some years. All profits generated are re-invested into the business. To be a successful entrepreneur, you must always bear in mind that you are not building a job for monthly pay. Instead, you are building an asset that can generate residual income for you and add value to humanity in the coming years.
4. They work longer hours than employees
Successful entrepreneurs are known for their extraordinary resilience and long standing commitment to the course of building a business. Building a business is never easy and it requires time and dedication. Some entrepreneurs are known to work for 70 - 80 hours per week while average employees work less than that.
So if you are going to join their league, then you definitely need to develop the trait of working longer hours than normal.
5. They learn quickly from mistakes
Of all the traits of successful entrepreneurs, this one interests me the most. Many individuals shy away from the game of entrepreneurship because of the fear of making mistakes. They perceive mistakes as bad because mistakes sometimes cost money and pain; so they avoid it like a plague. But great entrepreneurs see mistakes as a learning tool; they see it as an opportunity to learn something new.
"Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement." - Henry Ford
They make mistakes in business but they don't quit. They know mistakes are part of the process of entrepreneurship, so they learn quickly from these mistakes and move on.
"Excuses cost a dime and that's why the poor can afford a lot of it." - Robert kiyosaki
6. They have the ability to run on debt
As a rule of life, we are all indebted to someone in one way or the other. With respect to building a business, i have never seen a successful entrepreneur that hasn't been in debt. Everyone owes but these set of entrepreneurs know how to use debt to their advantage, they know how to use debt as an instrument and leverage to build a business and get richer.
"Be careful when you take on debt. If you take on debt personally, make sure it is small. If you take on large debt, make sure someone else is paying for it." - Rich Dad
7. They are accountable and responsible
Successful entrepreneurs are accountable and responsible for the failure or success of business. They shoulder the responsibility of piloting the business through its trying times. If they succeed, it becomes a plus to them but if they fail, they will be held responsible.
8. They thrive on criticism
Another trait successful entrepreneurs share in common is the ability to forge ahead in the face of criticism. Building a business comes with its own challenges; as the entrepreneur, you are bound to be loved and hated by the public. But they always devise a means to use every bit of criticism to make themselves better and stronger.
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." Henry Ford
"Sometimes, I think my most important job as a CEO is to listen for bad news. If you don't act on it, your people will eventually stop bringing bad news to your attention and that is the beginning of the end." - Bill Gates
9. They are ambitious
Ambition is one of the traits of successful entrepreneurs. Successful entrepreneurs think big and do things big. They are never satisfied with their current achievement; they believe there is always room for constant improvement and they go for it.
Take a look at Mukesh Ambani's achievement in building Reliance Group; the world's largest refinery. Lakshmi Mittal built Mittal Steel, the world's largest steel producer. Look at Larry Ellison's ambition to surmount Microsoft. In generality, entrepreneurs are very ambitious personalities.
10. They are opportunist
This is another trait of successful entrepreneurs. They share a common ability to see opportunities, where others see problems. They know that behind every problem lies an opportunity. Great entrepreneurs are the drivers of creativity and innovation.
"The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets." - John D. Rockefeller
11. They are great leaders
Successful entrepreneurs are great leaders with a proven leadership strategy. They possess the ability to bring out the best in their employees. They inspire creativity and foster innovation. They also have the ability to hire and lead smarter individuals.
"Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people." - John D. Rockefeller
12. Successful entrepreneurs are team players
"I want to start my own business," 'I want to be my own boss,' 'I want to do this my own way.' These are the words I often hear from would be entrepreneurs. Successful entrepreneurs know that entrepreneurship and investing are team sports. So therefore; they never work alone, they join forces with other entrepreneurs and professional advisers to build a stronger business.
"Go to the wolf, consider its ways and be wise. A wolf will never hunt alone; it hunts in packs because it knows the power of team work." - Ajaero Tony Martins

In conclusion, these are the 12 traits of successful entrepreneurs which you must possess to succeed. These entrepreneurs were not born with these traits, they developed them over time. You can also develop these traits if only you are willing.
And just before I drop my pen, if you need Expert Advice on How to Start a Business from scratch; please feel free to visit our blog. In addition, you can also download my free definitive guide on How to Become a Billionaire in less than 10 years.

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An Internet Business Opportunity Entrepreneurs Reality Check - Entrpreneurship

So you want to learn the internet business marketing secrets to make money by starting an internet business? Do you feel like an internet business entrepreneur that is just waiting for the best opportunity to strike it rich with? You know that the internet is a hot money market and you want to get your share! If there's money to be made, you'll find a way to make it! The only things you need are an income source, and the resources to market it. Once you have them, it's all downhill from there!!
...Right?
Well, let's take a brutally honest approach to analyzing your hopes of being an internet business entrepreneur. There are thousands of other entrepreneurs out there just like you who are just waiting for the chance to start their own internet business and make an insane income from the internet. That's alright though, because any good internet business entrepreneur knows that there is always a way to make money out there.
The beginnings of any entrepreneur's business are what ultimately what define their long term success. This not only applies to any successful internet business entrepreneur, but to any entrepreneur in history. That's right! I'm not even speaking specifically about our modern culture! Throughout human history, entrepreneurship has been always centered on one basic, broad concept. We hear all too often today, but rarely give it a second thought. Here is the golden rule for any entrepreneur, whether an internet business entrepreneur, a small business owner, or perhaps even an entrepreneur who is looking for the chance to start a business.
Entrepreneurship comes down to the ability of finding a need of the people and filling it.
We all know this is common knowledge. However, what happens all too often with internet business entrepreneurs is that they get caught up in the hype of a last chance offer or internet business opportunity, and forget to question if it fits the definition of entrepreneurship. Now, I'm not saying you can't be successful with these things. The problem is that entrepreneurs get hyped up in thinking they're all set for wealth because they have the best internet business program out there. They know that all they need to do is execute the pre-written plan they were given to achieve success. They may very well make money with any given internet business opportunity. Then, after a little success, they tend to convince themselves that they have become a true internet business entrepreneur and have accomplished exactly what they set out to do originally.
Well, if they were successful, what's wrong with thinking that?
The problem is that they have diluted the idea of being an internet business entrepreneur so far that it would be unfair to even consider them an entrepreneur. They may have had some success, but were they really an entrepreneur? This is where the men separate from the boys.
They are not entrepreneurs they better fit the definition of an Opportunist.
So what? They were successful right? What's the difference anyway?
The difference is this: Entrepreneurs find the need and fill it. Opportunists fill the need, but weren't the ones to find it. Now, when someone hears the word "opportunist," it usually carries a bad connotation. This is not the case. Opportunists are simply different than entrepreneurs. No one ever said they were less successful than entrepreneurs.
If you don't agree, think about the very famous, successful man we all know is without a doubt the world's greatest opportunist. Who would that be? Here are a few hints. He didn't find the need, but he knew two entrepreneurs who found the need. He even worked for the entrepreneurs who filled one of the biggest needs in history. He didn't even invent the product that filled this need, but most people who use this product don't know that. Do you know who it is yet? Here are a couple obvious hints. To this day, his products are inferior to his competitors', but he still leads the industry. He made his wealth through quality marketing, not a quality product. If you still don't know, here is the giveaway: He is the richest man in the world! Bill Gates, of course! Bill Gates is the greatest opportunist in history. But he still wasn't an entrepreneur.
So what? He's the richest man alive!
Yes, he certainly is. But that doesn't make him an entrepreneur. Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak are the real entrepreneurs of the Computer Industry. They both are successful, but they were caught off guard by an opportunist with a vision. They could have very well had a virtual monopoly on computers to this day, but an opportunist stole it from them.
Alright...Well what's so good about being an Entrepreneur then?
Well... Umm... it sounds good to say you're an entrepreneur? No, that can't be it. Uhh... Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur? No, that's not it either.
The brutally honest truth is that being an entrepreneur is not all that it's played up to be. It involves a high risk of failure, and the bottom line is most people aren't going to take that chance. Also, it's good to remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an opportunist. Sure, you'll have to factor in your own ethics. But, speaking monetarily, there is nothing wrong with being an opportunist.
With almost every entrepreneur we know of, there are opportunists that follow. Michael Dell founded Dell Computers on the idea that people would want computers built to their custom specifications. He was and still is very successful with this. Soon, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Gateway, and many more adopted his principles into their business models. Many people would label what you now know as opportunists to be entrepreneurs.
Many people who declare themselves "internet business entrepreneurs" are really internet business opportunists. Many successful network marketers would call themselves entrepreneurs, but they are really network marketing opportunists. The real entrepreneur is individual that came up with the idea of network marketing. He found a need for a business model that would utilize ambitious individuals who had no product to sell on their own, but still sought a way to earn an income through marketing a product.
Entrepreneurship is one of the many subjects of common knowledge that few people think twice about. There are thousands of people out there who say want to be entrepreneurs that don't even know how to define "entrepreneur!" If that entire group was to eventually find success in internet business or any business at all, the chances of the majority of them becoming a true entrepreneur are very small. I would estimate that about 98% of them, if successful in the long run, are opportunists and not entrepreneurs.
Any given successful entrepreneur knows the concept described in this article all too well. That's most likely because at some point, they lost some aspect of business to an opportunist who picked up on what need they are filling and how they are doing it. Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak would be able to describe in detail the shear frustration of this.
So if you really do believe that you want to be an entrepreneur, think about the golden rule. What is the need you will fill and how will you fill it? If you can come up with some answers for those two questions, you very well may be on your way to success. Don't forget to get a patent, trademark, and/or copyright though!
*On a personal note, I will take a shot in the dark and say that you're probably wondering what right I have to speak so bluntly about this subject. Maybe you're wondering what my experience and qualifications are. Perhaps you're ever curious about my own entrepreneurial endeavors. I'm not going to come out and spill the details of my entrepreneurial endeavors, but take a good look at this article and the information presented, and how it is presented. Maybe you can figure it out!

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