What is an entrepreneur personality? Is there such a thing? Is there a personality type that is more suitable for entrepreneurship?
These are just some of the questions I get asked. If you are thinking about starting your own business then you may be asking the same questions. You may be wondering if you have the right personality for entrepreneurship.
It may disappoint you to hear that there isn’t a simple answer to this question.
The chances are you have heard various people make various claims. Some say that entrepreneurs are born and not made. Some say that only the wildly ambitious should even think about starting their own business.
It is even said that introverts should never start their own business.
Well none of the above is true. What I can tell you is that we find successful entrepreneurs across the entire personality spectrum.
We see all sorts of personality types starting and running all sorts of businesses. You only need to look at the most well known entrepreneurs to see that they have very different personalities. James Dyson is nothing like Richard Brandson. And he in turn is nothing like Alan Sugar.
Entrepreneur Personality – Motivation
Again it is a misconception that some personality types are more motivated than others. What does vary according to personality type is what motivates them. You find very motivated people across the entire personality spectrum. No such thing as an entrepreneur personality.
If you lack the motivation to start your own business it’s got nothing to do with your personality type, it’s simply because you have not yet found a suitable motivation.
Some people start their own business because they want autonomy and control over their lives.
Others start their own business because they want to help people and share what they know.
Motivation is very much influenced by personality so you should take time to understand your own personality and figure out how it is motivated.
You may not be motivated very much by money. If this is the case and you are trying to motivate yourself by thinking of the money you will make, then it’s unlikely to get you anywhere.
A common problem we find in sales roles is that they try and motivate sales people with money but most people are not that motivated by money but they could be motivated by other things. A smart sales manager will figure out what and try and deliver it.
You too need to figure out what motivates you and tap into it and make it work for you.
Make Your Personality Work For You
The secret is not to try and run someone else’s race. You have to be yourself. An entrepreneur personality report will help you do just that.
Take time to figure out what makes you tick and what style of entrepreneurship will work for you. If you figure out what motivates your personality type then you can do more of it.
You can also figure out what turns you off and try and avoid that.
For some the very talk about money is offensive and immediately turns them off. You have to find where your buttons are and make them work for you.
Carl Jung didn’t write anything specifically about entrepreneurship but it’s a reasonable assumption that he would have encouraged you to be yourself.
