Do you have the Entrepreneur’ve?

Allegedly, President George W. Bush proclaimed, “The problem with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur.”

Whether there is truth in that or not, the question is, do you have what it takes? Do you possess the necessary “Ooh-la-la”?

What’s the definition?

Entrepreneur ~ A French loan-word ( i.e: we nicked it and use it as ours)

An entrepreneur is an awesome person who sets up a business taking on financial risks in the pursuit of profit.

AKA: business person/executive, enterpriser, fat wallet owner, speculator, tycoon, magnate, dealer, trader, merchant, Aston Martin owner,  promoter, impresario, wheeler-dealer, mogul, big shot, bigwig, whizz-kid, the man, go-getter, high-flyer, hustler and champagne for everybody, darling.

What are mover and shaker traits?

• A lifestyle or calling rather than a job

Some people are settled in a 9-5 job that offers a level of security, routine and regular payment. That’s great if it suits your personality and needs. However, if you are in that role and currently carving Voodoo spells into your desk, maybe you’re in the wrong place. An entrepreneur is a creator and risk taker. You see yourself as the ideas person and crave the freedom to build something magnificent. It’s more of a calling that claws at your insides and you won’t be sated until you explore the possibilities.

• Dreamer

You dream big. I mean enormous. The sort of dreams that scare other people. You picture yourself with the wild abandon to express and evolve. You bask in the idea of accomplishment and growth. You see the success of others and want to be the same. And boy, can you picture it! The glory of achieving your goals as you sit in your Armani suit at some luxurious harbour front restaurant eating your Lobster Thermidor.

• Talking of big yachts…

Yes, you’d love one! Who wouldn’t? But it’s not always money that is the drive. Usually the green stuff accompanies success which is an exceedingly pleasant bonus, but some people are driven by personal growth, creation, freedom or helping others.

• Talent

You know you have it and feel you’re wasting this valuable gift. You can tell that you’re meant for bigger and better things and maybe people have even told you that. You have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ (sticking with the French theme) and it needs to be exploited.

• Prove yourself

Which leads us nicely to this. Often, people with the go-getter gift have hit many nay-sayers in life, generally, don’t fit the standard issue round hole and find themselves searching for something more: a need to prove themselves.

Do you have entrepreneur’ve?

• Risk taker

Which means you’re probably this. You may not have done it in business yet but have taken risks in your personal life. Maybe you crave adventure, thrill seeking activities, love finding solutions to problems that others haven’t or finding ways to be creative with personal projects. In a nutshell, you’re not a person who settles for mediocrity.

If you’ve ticked ‘YES that’s me’ to most of the above then quit procrastinating and follow these guidelines:

Identify your business

Or, solve a problem you are familiar with.

You may be another Bill Gates or Steve Jobs and have a product that is going to WOW the world. Or, you make think you can re-invent something. Alternatively, you may wonder what it is you can do since there doesn’t seem to be any new ideas left. Rubbish and utter rubbish.

The issue should not be inventing something so diverse and unique, but instead asking yourself the following:

• How would I improve this already amazing idea/product/service?
• Can I do this better than the other people in the marketplace?
• Is there part of this market that is not being covered?
• Is there room for a unique angle or pathway in this business category?”

Don’t try and re-invent the wheel. Try and improve on it.

Do what you know or do what others are doing that is working and do it better!

That, as one entrepreneur might say to another, will put you en route to the “Joie de vivre”

Bon voyage!