'Born' or 'made,' entrepreneurs share key traits

Are entrepreneurs born, or can they be made?

For nearly 10 years I have been affiliated with the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship, and I have heard a number of theories expressed on the matter of entrepreneurial evolution.

Some say that entrepreneurialism is an intangible "something" with which you are born — something you either have or you don't. Many experienced and successful entrepreneurs indicate that they have ALWAYS been entrepreneurial — even when they were children.

"Being an entrepreneur isn't something I DO," one veteran business owner told me. "It's part of who I AM."

Others claim that anyone can be an entrepreneur given the right set of circumstances and opportunities. "I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur," said a friend who has recently started his own business. "It wasn't something I felt driven to do. I was happy working for a big corporation until this opportunity came along. And now ... well, I'd never want to go back."

I tend to favor the "born" theory. But even if you believe that entrepreneurs can be "made," I think you have to agree that certain key character traits have to be in place in order for someone to make it in the thrilling — and sometimes frightening — world of entrepreneurialism.

In the September 1986 edition of Business Horizons, John G. Burch created a list of entrepreneurial traits that capture for me — and for other famous entrepreneurs — the essence of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur:

A desire to achieve. "The critical ingredient is ... doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer." (Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese)

Hard work. "An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew, hoping he'll quickly learn how to chew it." (Roy Ash, co-founder of Litton Industries)

Desire to work for themselves. "Going into business for yourself, becoming an entrepreneur, is the modern-day equivalent of pioneering on the old frontier." (Paula Nelson, entrepreneur, author and CNN commentator)

Nurturing quality. "Caring is a powerful business advantage." (Scott Johnson, author, software developer and entrepreneur)