Start of the New Beginning

Before you start to own your own business and become a successful entrepreneur there are certain qualities and characteristics you will have to understand and develop. Below there are helpful definitions, hints, websites and references which will help you to get underway.

A great place to start is with a simple explanation of what an entrepreneur is.
Definitions of an Entrepreneur: -“A person starting a new company who takes on the risks associated with starting the enterprise, which may require venture capital to cover start-up costs.”
For further information about what an entrepreneur is, please click on the following web-sites; by looking through these helpful sites you as the reader will have a clearer definition.

Information about Entrepreneurs: -
http://www.advfn.com/money-words_term_1715_entrepreneur.html
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid19_gci532613,00.html
http://www.moneychapter.com/Articles/Entrepreneur_Defined.php
http://www.gaebler.com/becoming-an-entrepreneur.htm

Personality Traits of an Entrepreneur: -The next step of the journey is to get an understanding of the characteristics of an entrepreneur. Personality matters in becoming a successful entrepreneur. Recent studies show that successful entrepreneurs share a number of common personality traits. John G. Burch (Business Horizons, September 1986) lists traits which are typical of entrepreneurs: -

· A desire to achieve: -
· Hard work: -
· Desire to work for themselves: -
· Nurturing quality: -
· Acceptance of responsibility: -
· Reward orientation: -
· Optimism: -
· Orientation to excellence: - Organisation: -
· Profit orientation: -

Below are further helpful web-sites which will show you more information about entrepreneur characteristics; again from reading further you will gain a better insight into the personality traits and hopefully learn something new about yourself.

Information about Entrepreneur Traits: -
http://www.stanford.edu/class/e145/materials/Characteristics.html
http://www.open2.net/money/entrepreneur.html
http://www.moneychapter.com/Articles/A_Guide_To_Traits_of_a_Successful_Entrepreneur.php
http://www.rbs.co.uk/Small_Business/Practical_Guidance/Are_you_an_Entrepreneur/default.htm


Types of Entrepreneurs: -Further information that you will need to know is the different types of entrepreneurs in order to establish which type you are.

Existing Market’ Entrants: -
Furious customer.
Optimistic outsider.
Arbitrageurs.
Inventors: -
Serial Entrepreneurs: -

Academics: -
Insider innovators: -
Roving revolutionaries: -
Intrapreneurs: -
Social Entrepreneurs: -
Raptors: -
Information about Entrepreneur Types: -Go further by reading through the helpful web-sites!
http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=5774
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/strategies/2002/02-01-types.htm
http://www.ex-designz.net/article_read.asp?id=1326
http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/development/a/personality_2.htm
http://www.rbs.co.uk/Small_Business/Practical_Guidance/Are_you_an_Entrepreneur/default.htm

Strengths: -
Weaknesses: -
Communication
Market aware
Contacts
Finance
Computers
People management
Opportunities: -
Threats: -
Going a course to help with finance
Lack of experience
Defining Your Personality: -Moving on from what type of entrepreneur you are and will become, you will have to look inside yourself and understand how you as a person will fit into the world of business and what role you will establish.

The Big Five factors (Goldberg, 1993) and their constituent traits can be summarised as follows.
· Openness to Experience: -
· Conscientiousness: -
· Extraversion: -
· Agreeableness: -
· Neuroticism: -

Information about Personalities: -
http://www.uta.edu/faculty/sandieidziak/2304%20Group%20Roles.htm
http://www.personalitytest.net/types/descriptions/index.htm
http://www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com/personalitytests.htm
http://www.quintcareers.com/SWOT_Analysis.html

You, like other entrepreneurs will not possess all the skills and attributes to be able to run the business on your own. The key is to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a manager, which will enable you to see what good traits you have and areas that you need to develop. A great and easy way to do this; is by carrying out a SWOT analysis (Hansen, 2006).



Now that you have looked through the helpful web-sites, taken a personality test and looked at your skills and attributes, you are ready to find out how you fit into a group environment.

How People can fit into Groups/Working Environments: -To find out how you fit into a group or working environment it is important to understand and learn what type of role you would take. Below is some helpful information about roles and responsibilities.
Role
Responsibility
Discussion Leader
Keeps group on-track
Recorder and Keep Records
Records assignments, strategies, unresolved issues and data
Reporter
Makes sure all agree on plan, action and report
Accuracy Coach
Probes for group understanding
Sceptic
Challenges group consensus
Timekeeper
Checks for timing of discussion of the problem
Reflector and Summariser
Summarises progress of the group

Information about Groups and Group Roles: -These sites below will provide further information about how you can fit into a group.
http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/roles.html
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/CL/doingcl/grproles.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlgroups07.html