Posted by on Sep 26, 2008 in Strategy | 2 comments

In a recent post on Duct Tape Marketing, small business expert John Jansh argues:

Many of the traits that make up the entrepreneur are ingrained as habits, I suspect, knowingly or unknowingly, by our well intentioned parents and caregivers.

So this raises an interesting question.  If you didn’t grow up in an entrepreneurial environment, can you be a successful entrepreneur?  I think you can, but you have to recognize the skills and traits you didn’t see modeled when you are young, and find a way to model them now.

For example – i come from a family of teachers and social workers.  I know how to tell a good story, and break down complex ideas into manageable bites, but I still wrestle with skills which come easily to the natural entrepreneur.  So how do I compensate?  I hang out with entrepreneurs who do have that background, and hang out with the, observe how they approach their business.

Read the rest of John’s post

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  • Cindy Hartman

    I came from a family of blue collar workers. Yes, you can be an entrepreneur, but you need a great group of people who support you and believe in you; the mindset of my family didn’t provide that (“Why would you give up a good job, steady income and benefits?”). If you have to ask, you won’t understand the answer!

  • admin

    I think that is why I have enjoyed being a part of Rainmakers (www.gorainmakers.com) The group is filled with people who are more natural entrepreneurs, and they understand!