Put away your crystal ball and pack up the tarot cards. If you want to know if you’re cut out to be a successful business owner, I can tell you without any supernatural skills!

Not that I am anti woo woo I’d like to add – in fact one of my clients saw a psychic before hiring me and apparently I have “lazer vision”. Note to self – must book a session.

Getting back to the topic at hand – there are certain signs and traits that most business owners have, and if you already have a fair number of them, the chances are you’d do well owning your own business.

Count how many of these traits sound like you

  1. You are internally driven. If you always wait for someone else to tell you what to do, entrepreneurship might not be for you. If, on the other hand, you’re a self-starter, willing and able to complete tasks without a lot of oversight, and eager to figure something out yourself rather than be shown how to do it, those are excellent entrepreneurial traits.
  1. You can’t stand the status quo. Maybe you have lots of idea about how things could be improved but in your job you are limited to how much you can improve things. That might mean that you have a great opportunity to open your own shop, so to speak, and do things right. Or, become a consultant and help others in your industry work better.
  1. You think office politics are ridiculous and “engagement” meetings make you want to throw up. I mean, this may go without saying, but lots of business owners start out because they’re unhappy working for large corporations – or even just working for someone else. If you are already causing a bit of a ruckus, as I was, it might be time to reconsider where your talents can be best used.
  1. You love learning. There’s a lot to learn when you start running a business, so a love of learning goes a long way. If you’re a “figure it out” kind of person, you’ll go much farther as a business owner than someone who craves rules and instructions that are all laid out.
  1. You’re not big on other people’s rules – really, you’re a trailblazer. This is very important, because the most successful small businesses are all disruptors in some way: they change the way something is done, the attitude, the client base, the accessibility, or maybe the cost.  Now that said, I am all for making the most of well trodden pathways to success, but if you are the type of wants to do things their own way it’s an indication that you have the right personality type.
  1. You tend to be pretty positive. No need to be a total Pollyanna, but for the most part, you’re an optimist. You tend to think that you can make things work, that problems will work themselves out, and that you can reach any goal you set for yourself.
  1. You like a challenge.  Maybe you’ve got a competitive streak. Maybe you just don’t like to be told “no.” Whatever it is, you’re up for a challenge and there’s nothing better than the feeling you get when you meet it.

Ok, hold up your fingers: How many of those statements resonated with you?

If you said four or more

I’d say you’re DEFINITELY entrepreneur material. You’ve got the personality and attitude that will make it easier for you to succeed.

Did you only resonate with three or fewer?

In that case, you might need to take a closer look at why you really want to start your own business.

Don’t take this as a definite  ‘no’ though. Take your time to consider what you want to get out of it and remember you need to have the resilience to ride out the challenges that come with the wins.

Ultimately, I believe that you can work to cultivate any and all of these attitudes and traits IF you are committed to doing so.

Either way: knowing you have these traits or knowing you want to be working towards them will help you prepare for the entrepreneurial journey (of awesomeness) ahead.

Knowledge is power – if you do something with it.