Chapter 2: Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

Maddam C.J. Walker was an entrepreneur that is less commonly known and has made a huge impact through the cosmetic industry that not only broke normative rules but also empowered black women.

In chapter 2 I got to learn the variety of characteristics that entrepreneurs possess, whether it be education, mindset, and how to work towards developing some of those skills.  

Some statistics within entrepreneurs are that a grand majority of them have a degree that they received through college, and the other minority had either at least a high school diploma or no education. Another big part of ownership was how you actually came to be in that position, and majority either began by using their own money or from family to start up their businesses, the other group which still had roughly 40 percent began by using capital from outside meaning investors or loans. And at last when it comes to the statistics of entrepreneurs, the majority seem to be around 50 years old, where progressively after 40s there is less entrepreneurs involved. 

The numbers above gave you an idea of demographics in entrepreneurship but the real understanding comes from what makes an entrepreneur. Some of the big components are attitude and personal characteristics, a positive attitude seems to be the most helpful and common trait within entrepreneurs as it helps you turn problems into opportunities which is the very essence of entrepreneurship. When it comes to characteristics there is a big variety but the ones that seem to encompass entrepreneurship the best are Creativity, Determination, Business skills, organizational skills, and at last communication.  When you are running a business you need to be able to fix problems with determination, creativity and with organization, and not only that but when working with a team you need to be able to communicate respectfully and effectively. 

After reading the rest of the text and understanding the characteristics of an entrepreneur I was able to get a good sense of what skills I already have and what skills I need to develop more. I think that creativity, organization, honesty, and communication are some of the ones I am pretty strong in but I can still further develop over time. But now looking at what I lack, people skills is a big one where I for some reason have when I'm with adults but not with teenagers, so being able to communicate with people my age especially in entrepreneurship will be key to my success. And I hope that by getting more practice and perhaps some lectures from my peers I can further improve. After reading chapter 2 I think that to become an entrepreneur you need to be a well rounded person that can most importantly take on pressure!