What Kind Of Entrepreneur Are You?

The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know thyself” was inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. What is true in ancient times is true today, particularly in business, because if you know yourself, you have already won half the battle. So, who are you? You might identify yourself with the word entrepreneur, but what type of entrepreneur are you? Maybe you are a skilled and talented producer of something that meets the needs of a particular marketplace. Perhaps you are good at leading and managing people. Furthermore, you might be able to tolerate risk and have a knack for identifying opportunities. Maybe you are a combination of all these attributes.
What is important is to understand who you are so that the team you choose matches your traits, augments your talents, and is proficient in the skills you may be lacking.

In business, there are three types of distinct entrepreneurial personalities:

Artist/Talent — This is someone of extraordinary talent who consistently meets the needs of a marketplace.

Manager/Leader — This is someone who consistently and effectively manages and meets the needs of an artist so that he or she can consistently meet the needs of the market. Even though these people have management skills, they don’t necessarily have leadership skills.

Visionary — This person is the creator and holder of the vision, the person who attracts and effectively engages managers/leaders. A visionary entrepreneur has a high level of risk tolerance and is able to personally weather the economic and emotional ups and downs of the business. This person is willing to take on significant risk. Visionary entrepreneurs work with managers to create and build a business system that consistently empowers skilled producers and talented artists to meet the needs of the market they serve.
You might say that you have some or all of these traits, but there will always be one that stands out; this will be the one you lean toward the most.

To figure out which one you are, ask yourself the following five questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What are my talents?
3. What do I truly love most?
4. What do I like doing the least?
5. Who else do I need to help me optimize my business results?

You might be starting out on your own, but there will come a time in the life of your company when you can no longer do everything. That means you will need to hire people to keep the business functioning and thriving from day to day.

By answering the five questions to determine your strengths and weaknesses, you can also determine the type of person you need on your team to help you thrive and be a success.

This article is an excerpt from my book:
Walking on Water: An Entrepreneurs Guidebook

written by: Thomas Schneider, Managing Partner, Kxter.com