QUALITIES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The qualities that contribute to the success of an entrepreneur are as follows: -

1. Risk Taking: - Entrepreneurs are moderate risk takers. They enjoy he excitement of a challenge, but they do not gamble. Entrepreneurs avoid low- risk situations because there is a lack of challenge. They avoid high risk situations because they want to succeed. They like achievable challenges. They do not tend to like situations where the outcome of a quest depends upon a chance and not on their efforts. They like to influence the outcome of their quest by putting in more efforts and then experiencing a sense of accomplishment.

A risk situation occurs when an entrepreneur is required to make a choice between two or more alternatives whose potential outcomes are not known and must be evaluated in advance, with limited information. A risk situation involves potential gain and potential loss. As the size of the business expands the problems and opportunities become more numerous and complex. Business growth and development require an entrepreneur not to be afraid of taking decisions and certain risks. Most people are afraid to take risks because they want to be safe and avoid failure. An entrepreneur always takes a calculated risk and is not afraid of failure.

2. Self- Confidence: - A man with self – confidence has clear thoughts and well- defined goals to achieve in his life. An entrepreneur gets into business or industry with a high level of self- confidence. He is able to evaluate his competencies and capabilities in a realistic manner. He can set realistic and challenging goals. He is confident of achieving these goals. He possesses a sense of effectiveness, which ultimately contributes to success of his venture. He puts forward his case confidently and gets needed help from concerned agencies/ authorities.

3. Optimist: - An entrepreneur is able to visualize the hidden opportunities in the environment and translate them into business realities. An entrepreneur exhibits a positive and optimistic attitude towards such opportunities. The entrepreneur approaches his task with the hope of success and not with a fear of failure. In the process of accomplishing his task he may also fail but the failure experience does not change his thinking. He is always an optimist in his outlook. The positive outlook develops a drive in the entrepreneur to attempt new things and innovate.

4. Need for achievement: - The need to excel known as achievement is a critical factor in the personality of an entrepreneur. People with high need for achievement have desire for success in competition with others or with a self- imposed standard of excellence. They try to accomplish something new and try to innovate themselves in longterm goals. They try to accomplish challenging tasks. They know their own strengths and weaknesses, the facilitating factors and constraints in the environment and the resources needed to accomplish their tasks. If the objectives are accomplished they feel elated.

5. Need for independence: - The need for independence is the prime characteristic that has driven the entrepreneurs to start their own business. These entrepreneurs do not like to be controlled by others. They do not wait for direction from others and choose their own course of action. They set their own challenging goals and put efforts to achieve this goal. The independence provides opportunity for trying out new ideas and helps them achieve their goals.

6. Creativity: - Entrepreneurs are highly creative people. They always try to develop new products, processes or markets. They are innovative, flexible and are willing to adopt changes. They are not satisfied with conventional and routine way of doing things. They involve themselves in finding new ways of doing the things for the better.

7. Imaginative: - Successful entrepreneurs possess a high degree of imagination and foresightedness. Entrepreneurs have a great vision. Knowing the present and the past the entrepreneur is able to predict the future events the business more accurately than others. It is because of their visionary nature and power of imagination that helps them in anticipating problems and evolving actions strategies for such problems.

8. Administrative ability: - A successful entrepreneur is always a good administrator. He knows the art of getting things done by other people without hurting their feelings of self- respect. He has strong motivation towards the achievement of a task and puts in necessary efforts in getting things done by others.

9. Communication ability: - Communication ability is the ability to communicate effectively. Good communications also means that both the sender and the receiver understand each other and are being understood. An entrepreneur who can effectively communicate with customers, employees, suppliers and bankers will always succeed in their business.

10. Clear objectives: - An entrepreneur has clear objectives as to the exact nature of the business, the nature of the goods to be produced and the subsidiary activities to be undertaken. A successful entrepreneur has the objective to establish the product to make profit or to render social service.

11. Business Secrecy: - An entrepreneur who is successful always guards his business secrets. Leakage of business secrets to trade competitors is a serious matter; therefore an entrepreneur should carefully guard it. An entrepreneur must be able to make a proper selection of his assistant since most of the time it is the assistant who leaks the trade secret.

12. Emotional stability: - The most important personality factors contributing to the success of an entrepreneur are emotional stability, personal relations, consideration and tactfulness. An entrepreneur must maintain good relations with the customers if he wishes to enjoy their continued patronage. He must also maintain good relation with his employees, whom he shall motivate to perform their jobs at a high level of efficiency. An entrepreneur who maintains good human relations with customers, employees, suppliers and the community has a better chance to succeed in his/ her business.

13. Open-mindedness: - Open- mindedness means a free and frank approach in accepting one’s own errors and change for the better. An  entrepreneur must be willing to learn from his past experience, mistakes and moulds himself for better.

14. Technical knowledge: - Technical knowledge implies knowledge about the product, process or technology used in manufacturing. An entrepreneur who has reasonable level of technical knowledge will always be successful. Technical knowledge is easy to acquire if the entrepreneur tries hard to acquire it.

15. Patience: - Patience means ability to wait. Patience also means doing the work and waiting for the result. A certain amount of patience is necessary in any type of vocation. An entrepreneur should not wait for actions but can certainly wait for result for his efforts.

16. Hard working and energetic: - Ability and willingness to work hard is an important quality of an entrepreneur. A person having physical and mental stamina to cope with the hard work and human relation is fit to become a successful entrepreneur. By carrying out well- planned and systematic work, success is always the end result.

17. Good organizer: - Entrepreneurs are good organizers of resources like men, machines, materials and money needed to start and run the business smoothly. They can convince the employees, investors, customers and co- ordinate the activities of individuals and groups in the accomplishment of business objectives. An entrepreneur works like a coordinating force among the resources, mould and manages them effectively.