Are you an entrepreneur or are you the entrepreneurial type?

That’s what my good friend Annaliese Morgan asked recently on her blog.
There are so many different variations of how people define Entrepreneur be it the official Oxford definition

a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit

or perhaps this from BusinessZone

An entrepreneur sees an opportunity which others do not fully recognise, to meet an unsatisfied demand or to radically improve the performance of an existing business. They have unquenchable self-belief that this opportunity can be made real through hard work, commitment and the adaptability to learn the lessons of the market along the way

Either way you look at it, its clear that an Entrepreneur is someone who works hard to reach their goals, whether that be profit, happiness, freedom or perhaps some other form of achievement.

I am not going to go into whether or not I qualify “@seanprice on twitter" href="http://www.seanprice.co.uk/sean-price/" target="_blank">myself” to be an entrepreneur – as it stands, I work hard, I approach life and business in a way many would label entrepreneurial and I have been called an Entrepreneur and more many times however for now, I will settle for “that guy that works bloody hard!”

Oh and before I continue – please don’t tell me your a “mumpreneur” — ugh….it’s one of those terms which I believe is just wrong.

Moving on…

Whether you are 18, 28, 38 or 68 you can be an entrepreneur at any time, you do not have to be “born an entrepreneur” you can become an entrepreneur there is not a specific list of qualities or achievements that ultimately define the term entrepreneur however a general list of qualities that are thrown around very often (such as those listed by Annaliese) include but is obviously not limited to

• Passion and drive – being successful ultimately will surround doing something you love, if you do not enjoy and think about your business with great passion you are unlikely to succeed because passion and drive to accomplish something you enjoy counts for a lot when it comes to mental & physical drive.
  Feel like your losing your passion and drive?  – Take a step back, look at what your working on the grand scheme of things – is it really what you want? Have you lost track or veered off course of what you truly wanted to achieve? Consider looking into Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen and specifically the Horizons of Focus which covers how to work more productively and asses your goals in life and to be more stress free. Maybe just go back to basics?

• Motivation – Are you motivated? I am not going to suggest as others may do that you need to be up at 4am cranking away, working through until you end up with your face slammed on the keyboard as you fall asleep – that said a high level of motivation is required – just as passion and drive may cover this – motivation to wake up every morning sit down and work on your business is a whole new ball game especially if your seeing things are progressing as quick as you want them to be! Don’t give up!
  Losing motivation? Don’t forget you should be eating properly, exercise regularly and have appropriate breaks – remember to take time off every now and then to recharge your batteries
• Innovative or creativity – People usually fall into one or the other of these categories – your either a visual/creative type who then needs an innovative/business thinker to move forward the best possible (or vice-versa), that said its not uncommon for individuals in either category to become successful entrepreneurs alone however – joining forces with a counter part often leads to some of the best companies in the world – think of which “power couples” of entrepreneurs you can think of? (Microsoft? Apple?)
  Looking for your “other half”? Accelerator/Mentor programs such as Techstars and Y Combinator in the USA are great programs, or in the UK – we are severely lacking in this area I think – the options available for first time/serial or developing entrepreneurs are very limited. One of the few programs I have come across that seems to be working well is the YES (Young Entrepreneur Society) Network being run by Carly Ward that helps young people develop some of the necessary skills needed to become a more successful/confident person and network to find a possible business partner as they offer a mentor program as well as networking events.
• Courageous – @fuchsiaonline on twitter" href="http://twitter.com/fuchsiaonline" target="_blank">Annaliese said on this one “They hold their nerve. At 3am when everything seems it’s falling apart, this one nerve is sometimes the only thing left to hold on too but a successful entrepreneur will”
  The only thing I will add to this is that even when everything is falling apart (because it will feel like that) remember to take a step back, talk to others, share some of the problems and even if that means networking events/parties it is all good business. Remember to do what you do best to unwind, read a book, go for a run, you will feel like a breakdown is on its way but hang in there – you will overcome it.
• Hard working– This is key, without a doubt, its worth listening to Nigel Marsh talking about Work / Life balance however at TEDxSydney and most certainly watch the TEDxBoulder video from one of my favourite Venture Capitalists @bfeld" href="http://feld.com" target="_blank">Brad Feld who speaks about work / life balance with a partner and how working at 150% can be balanced with proper “disconnected” periods to enjoy life whilst running successful businesses.
• Intuitive –  “They posses the ability to use and trust their intuition.”
  A lot of entrepreneurs have issues with their EGO don’t let that get in the way too much, you can trust your own intuition but sometimes….listening to the advice of others will help you to overcome private/personal issues that may be affecting your business or a bottleneck in your business that they can help shed some light onto that perhaps you didn’t see – its always worth listening to others at least to hear them out if they have some experience in the area. For me personally I listen carefully to the words of these people (@RachelElnaugh @BeaMoneyMagnet @fuchsiaonline @AnEasierAffair @WestonGreenMan @ChuckJelly @Crystal_Jewels1) who I find are very intelligent and their advice, words of wisdom or general chit-chat can pick me right back up and get me back on track.
• Determined – Don’t complain about what is going on in the world that distracts you from your goals and business – yes the economy is down and will be for a while (stop complaining) nothing deters an entrepreneur from reaching what they want, the economy will bounce up and down and yes you most probably FAIL…probably OFTEN… guess what – it’s probably your fault but that is not to say you won’t bounce back!

• Huge energy – You will have ups and downs in business there is no doubt about that, but doing everything you can to maintain your high levels of energy will be crucial to doing the best you are capable of – again remember to keep fit and healthy. Unfit body will most likely lead to an unfit mind, your physical health really does attribute to your mental health over time. “Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax” — Getting Things Done (David Allen)

• Like to inspire and energise others – Don’t promote yourself but inspire others, teach, show things you know to others, run seminars, mentor somebody – you do not need to be a “professional/famous/certified/pay-per-hour mentor” even if you are giving help to somebody every now and then – why NOT share your experiences with others. Give back to the community and help the next generation of Entrepreneurs. Speak at events (I still have a handful of speaking events this year including Ignite Cardiff), just giving back something you have learnt via speaking, forums, blogging, twitter, whatever media you are comfortable with, it is worth the while.
• Non- conforming and independent – Most entrepreneurs don’t conform to the 9-5 cubicle lifestyle some even propose to work the 4 hour work week. Some people cause controversy or run campaigns on social media or traditional media in order to ramp up traffic to their website or interest in their business – these campaigns may drive interest but also may do the opposite. Remember being independent and non comforming is fine, but make sure you do not damage your brand – your company OR personal brand with how you act/behave both online and off. It’s important to remember that everything you do online is likely to be found by a future client, employee, employer, anyone – remember that at least.

And here at last is a piece of home work I strongly recommend watching the video below – one of my favourite serial entrepreneurs who is often mixing up controversial conversations is Jason Calacanis (@Jason) . As he describes how he tried and tried and tried again until he hit success, how the highs and lows feel. A great insight into what to expect going down the entrepreneurial road.