Brand Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

After meeting many entrepreneurs, I've come to realize that they all share similar characteristics. Some people are born with an entrepreneurial spirit, while others acquire it through life experience after discovering their passions and goals. The following attributes will help you understand what qualities can help you win the entrepreneurship game.

Vision
Entrepreneurs look to the future, not just the present, and learn from past successes and failures to help them make the right decisions going forward. They have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, not just in one year but 10 or 15 years ahead-as well as a good sense of the direction they'd like to take with their lives. The entrepreneurial mind must have a destination and set of goals, so it can work every day to head toward that destination and achieve success. I didn't just create a blog, magazine, podcast, and book without having a larger vision that combines everything I've done. You need to think big! Start to pull your vision together once you have cemented your brand goals and have a clear sense of the direction you'd like to take your career. Don't be afraid to promote your vision to your network; remember, having the support of those who are in a position to lend help and guidance is invaluable.

Creativity
Entrepreneurs aren't looking to steal ideas or use what has already been done. They need to think creatively and formulate their own unique ideas and plans, based on what they enjoy and what the market needs. Creativity is also important when it comes to being a successful entrepreneur. Marketing a business either requires a budget or ideas for creative promotional strategies. This also applies to promoting yourself.

Tenacity
If you are a laid-back person, then you might not want to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are go-getters. They will do whatever it takes to conquer all obstacles and climb all mountains to succeed. They get very little sleep because they realize the opportunity cost in sleeping instead of getting things done. Personally, I won't even go to bed until I connect with close business associates in my network. Entrepreneurs have to make decisions and stick with them. There are no gray areas-no room for uncertainty!

Passion
You need to be so enthusiastic about your product or service that your face lights up like a Christmas tree every time you talk about it to people. If your idea doesn't excite you enough that it affects your emotions and body language, then maybe you need to choose something else. Entrepreneurs are so passionate about their businesses, they can actually instill good feelings in other people and get them excited about their businesses, which is an essential skill to attract investors, employees, or customers. When I talk about personal branding, I'm certainly not shy and laid-back-I'm determined to convince the world of its importance!

This article was excerpted from Me 2.0, Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success by Dan Schawbel.  To buy the book, click here.