March 23, 2010 Issue

Stage 1: Characteristic of An Entrepreneur

The first characteristic of successful and profitable entrepreneurs is COURAGE.

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you.

When you were a child were you scared of the dark?

Eventually one night you decided that you were not going to fall asleep with the night lite on. The decision and the action to turn off the light and go to sleep in the dark was courage.

Courage is an action.

What makes a person have courage?

Are they born with more courage than others? Do they have a smaller or larger brain? Are they stronger?

None of these questions lead to the answer.

The truth to courage is believing in something that is more important than what you are about to risk.

Whom or what is worth risking your life?

For me it is being involved in the nurturing and education of my daughter. Being able to parent and spend a significant amount of time with her is more important than a 50 to 60 hour work week paying $79,000 a year. I want to raise her up knowing God, so when she gets older she will not depart from him (Proverbs 22:6). I am devoted to giving her the love, time, tools and skills she needs to become profitable in her adult life. Even if that means giving up my job and becoming an entrepreneur to have control of my time.

Here is a quote from Oprah Winfrey.

"As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around." - Oprah Winfrey

Who are you... what do you want... how do you want to improve your community?

Action Steps to Profit

Step 1: Pick three topics that you have a passionate interest. Start with listing your hobbies, what you dream about consistently, or three major problems you would like to solve that would benefit yourself and others.

Step 2: Determine if you have courage. Take the Entrepreneur Test on Courage.