ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEUR?

SOME SAY YOU MUST BE BORN AS AN ENTREPRENEUR; OTHERS SAY IT CAN BE LEARNED.

En·tre·pre·neur |ˌäntrəprəˈnər|

Noun: entrepreneur; plural noun: entrepreneurs

A person who organises and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.

The definition of ‘entrepreneur’ is debated, which is why throughout this inaugural issue of Real Entrepreneurs Magazine, we asked influential business people from the East Midlands about nature Vs nurture argument of entrepreneurialism: are entrepreneurs born or raised? Can you teach someone to be an entrepreneur?

Again, the answer is debated. You might even be struggling to apply the word ‘entrepreneur’ to yourself. The word is often thrown around with a rise in the number of new business owners since the pandemic.

Becoming an entrepreneur, your own boss, an influencer, a change-maker has risen in popularity over the course of the last two years due to the pandemic allowing people more time to invest their efforts into something they’re truly passionate about.

In 2021, there were estimated to be 5.6 million UK private sector businesses, according to the Federation of Small Business. They also found that the UK private sector business population is made up of 3.2 million sole proprietorships (individual entrepreneurship), which is 56% of the total number of private sector businesses. That’s a lot of so-called entrepreneurs.

But just because you started your own business, does that make you an entrepreneur?

According to Forbes, Monster, and HubSpot, here are some of the traits that entrepreneurs demonstrate.

1. You’re always looking for an opportunity to reach new achievements.

If you’re never satisfied with “good enough” and always strive to do better, this might be a sign that there is an entrepreneur inside you. Being a successful entrepreneur simply means that you must continually be on your top game and always stepping outside your comfort zone to achieve goals.

2. You love to travel.

You have a hunger for travelling and love adventure. If you love exploring different areas of the world, love meeting new people, you are a natural networker and explorer of new possibilities. The Wright brothers loved travelling and were relentless in their pursuit of manned flight. No one had ever flown before but with their passion, these entrepreneurs made it possible.

3.You don’t like the idea of working in a 9-5pm job. This sounds boring to you. You can’t stop yourself picking up the phone out of working hours, you’re inspired by things you come across when you’re

Words by Levitha Biji

socialising or holidaying that you can implement into your work, and you spend much of your spare time doing productive things like writing a book or building a website – anything that can eventually make a profit.

4. You don’t like being told what to do, you’re more of a leader.

If you don’t like working for someone else and prefer spending your time on starting your own business, you can be a great entrepreneur. You may have been called ‘bossy’ growing up, or more politely ‘assertive’ but you know what it takes to get stuff done.

5. You are relentless.

You’ve always known that there is something you want to do to contribute to the world and make it a better place. A vision that hasn’t been spoken about before, something fresh, just like Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb after failing 10 again and again. A great entrepreneur is singleminded and filled with grit. They don’t have an “off switch” and always keep trying

6. The future excites you. Thinking about the future and what you can do to reach goals motivates you. You always think ahead into the future and bring it to the present. Seeing the bigger picture and performing accordingly excites you.

7. You know what people really want. You understand what consumers want and what they really need. Most importantly, you can recognise this and respond to it in a proactive manner. As well, you want others to strive as much as you. Offering the help others need makes you feel empowered and fulfils you.

8. You are willing to take risks.

Not every step can be calculated in this career. Failure is one step closer to success. Henry Ford had two famous and very public failures before he found success. Sometimes you must take the risk and go with it.

9. You love to grow.

If you are driven by growth, you love making progress in your life and love growing as a person. Seeing the numbers go up gives you a special kind of joy and helping others climb the ladder gives you even more joy.

By shining a light on those who set up breakthrough businesses, saw dramatic growth, or even pivoted their business to adapt in the everchanging face of our economy, we are here to share their stories enabling others to learn and, of course, grow.

It’s through the Real Entrepreneur Awards that we will identify best practice, promote enterprise, and encourage entrepreneurship across the board.

SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

AWARDS NIGHT 28th April 2022

Register your interest at awards@realentrepreneurs.co.uk realentrepreneurs.co.uk