5 of 12 YOU DON'T ASK FOR
PERMISSION.
Stephane
Bourque, founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Incognito
Software, says true entrepreneurial types are more likely to ask for
forgiveness than permission, forging ahead to address the opportunities or
issues they recognize.
"Entrepreneurs
are never satisfied with the status quo," says Bourque, who discovered he
was not destined for the corporate world when his new and better ways of doing
things were interpreted as unwanted criticism by his bosses. Now, he says,
"I wish my employees would get into more trouble," because it shows
they are on the lookout for opportunities to improve themselves or company
operations.
6 of 12 YOU ARE FEARLESS.
Where
most avoid risk, entrepreneurs see potential, says Robert Irvine, chef and host
of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible. True 'traps are not afraid to
leverage their houses and run up their credit card balances to amass the funds
they need to create a new venture. In some ways, he says, they are the ultimate
optimists, because they believe that their investments of time and money will
eventually pay off.
7 of 12 YOU WELCOME CHANGE.
"If
you have only one acceptable outcome in mind, your chances of making it are
slim," cautions Rosemary Camposano, president and CEO of Silicon Valley
chain Halo Blow Dry Bars. She says that if you are willing to listen, your
clients will show you which of your products or services provide the most
value.
Her
original vision for Halo was part blow-dry bar, part gift shop, "to help
busy women multitask," she explains. But she quickly learned that the gift
shop was causing confusion about the nature of her business, so she took it out
and replaced it with an extra blow-dry chair, and things took off. Smart
entrepreneurs constantly evolve, tweaking their business concepts in response
to market feedback.
8 of 12 YOU LOVE A CHALLENGE.
When
confronted by problems, many employees try to pass the buck. Entrepreneurs, on
the other hand, rise to the occasion. "Challenges motivate them to work
harder," says Jeff Platt, CEO of the Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park
franchise. "An entrepreneur doesn't think anything is insurmountable… He
looks adversity in the eye and keeps going."
Candace
Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, agrees. Despite naysayers who questioned
her idea for a bakery in the midst of the carb-fearing early 2000s, she
persevered and now has locations in eight states. In fact, she was one of the
first entrepreneurs in a business that became an ongoing craze, sparking
numerous copycats.
