

The Character Traits for an Entrepreneur - ahsonwardak

I know there's much written about being a great leader and how-to posts on starting a company, but I'm more interested in those innate characteristics of a startup founder.  Founders at Work had many great interviews, but I'm looking for the synthesis here of all the successful webpreneurs.
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pg
From the data we have so far (which is starting to be a lot) the best
predictor of success is determination. Then flexibility, intelligence, sense
of design.

~~~
ahsonwardak
When you say flexibility, what exactly do you mean? I see two types:

1\. Mental Flexibility - the ability to see things from different
perspectives.

2\. Resourcefulness - flexibility in getting things done and how they get
done.

Which one are you seeing makes entrepreneurs more successful? Both?

~~~
bootload
_"... stubbornness is a disastrous quality in a startup. You have to be
determined, but flexible, like a running back. A successful running back
doesn't just put his head down and try to run through people. He improvises:
if someone appears in front of him, he runs around them; if someone tries to
grab him, he spins out of their grip; he'll even run in the wrong direction
briefly if that will help. ..."_ ~ Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn, 5.
Commitment Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy ~
<http://www.paulgraham.com/startuplessons.html>

Number FIVE!

Just kidding. Maybe I read too much, but I find a lot of statements pg makes
are right there in essays if you read them. I particularly remember this one
because of the sport analogy, dodging, weaving around obstacles to get to the
objective.

    
    
        "... When you say flexibility, what exactly do you mean? ..."
    

Guess thats why it's on the list (hidden, but there) at number 5.

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henryw
I think one of the traits is to be relentlessly going after results, getting
stuff done. Result is what matters. And since results are not guaranteed, the
best one could do is to religiously maximize his/her probably for success by
doing/learning whatever is needed (within legal and moral bounds).

From Paul Graham's wealth creation article
<http://www.paulgraham.com/wealth.html>

1) Be smart and/or learn a lot so you have a high multiplier on your
productivity

2) "You need to be in a position where your performance can be measured ...
And you have to have leverage, in the sense that the decisions you make have a
big effect." Or in other words start your company or join a small startup
producing things people want.

3) Take a lot of actions (with your high multiplier) in working on your
company. "Imagine the stress of working for the Post Office for fifty years.
In a startup you compress all this stress into three or four years."

4) Enjoy the show after you're done and while at it. (I added that one.)

This was about doing it by creating things. "There are plenty of other ways to
get money, including chance, speculation, marriage, inheritance, theft,
extortion, fraud, monopoly, graft, lobbying, counterfeiting, and prospecting.
Most of the greatest fortunes have probably involved several of these."

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colortone
Entrepreneurs need to see the full picture, all the time.

This is basically a stack of dualities:

Detail-oriented + Huge vision

Driven, focused + flexible, nimble

Enjoys relationships + makes tough business decisions

Relentless about customer service + Engineering-centric

et cetera

YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL!

------
epi0Bauqu
<http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/startups/team.html>

Search for "Qualities that I find absolutely necessary:"

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karthikv
"I now have enough experience with startups to be able to say what the most
important quality is in a startup founder, and it's not what you might think.
The most important quality in a startup founder is determination. Not
intelligence-- determination." <http://www.paulgraham.com/startuplessons.html>

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flyhighplato
Everyone will just describe themselves ;)

