Anatomy of an Entrepreneur

A cool head is critical for entrepreneurial success. Lose your cool under pressure and it might go a little bit Pete Tong. Keep it calm, think clearly, and it’ll be plain sailing. Well… maybe not all plain sailing!
“Shy bairns get nowt” as they say… and cheekiness can sometimes go a very long way. Whether it’s blagging a better deal, or getting a foot in the door with a big cheese who could help get your idea going, being a little bit brazen can be a big benefit.
Passion. Drive. Determination… it all comes from the same place. If you really want something, if you’re prepared to put all you’ve got into it, you’re halfway there.
You’ll need plenty of these to get ahead of the crowd. For some people, facing a challenge like running their own business is something they just can’t stomach. But if you’ve got the appetite to make a go of it and are hungry for success, being your own boss might be right to your taste.
It’ll need to be thick. You might get a lot of flack from some quarters, you might get people telling you that your idea will never take off. They said that about the home computer once. ‘Nuff said.
Less for walking on — more for thinking on. The most successful entrepreneurs are the quickest thinkers. If you can think on your feet and answer those tricky questions without batting an eyelid, you’ll be charming those Dragons in their Den out of their hundred grand before you can say Theo Paphitis and Duncan Bannatyne
Championing your idea, even when others around you are not so enthusiastic, takes a lot of balls. But hang in there! After all, gentlemen and ladies, if you don't believe in yourself or your idea then others won’t either.
It’s all about good old-fashioned hard work to get an idea off the ground, so you’ll need this stuff in abundance! If you’re prepared to put in the graft, the rewards can be handsome. Remember… it’s all in the elbows.
There’ll be times when the fun goes out of being the boss, when the buck stops with you and things just aren’t going your way. But if you can look to the positives and keep a cool head in the face of tough decisions then you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.
If you work for yourself you’ll need an overactive one of these to keep ploughing through the ‘to do’ list, while having plenty of energy left to shout about your business to as many people as you can.
They’ll need to be pretty broad for all the responsibility that’s going to come your way. But rather than seeing it as a burden to be shouldered, you’ll see it as the chance to prove what you’re made of.
They’ll need to be wide open at all times to spot opportunities that come your way — just make sure they don’t get bigger than your belly before your business is ready to stomach all the plans you’ve got in store.