

Which traits doom an entrepreneur? - roboticleopard

There's a lot out on the web about what traits great entrepreneurs/founders have (for example: www.paulgraham.com/founders.html), but what are some red flags in terms of founder personalities/traits, etc?<p>I'll throw a few out as possibilities: lazy? arrogant? lack of curiosity? risk averse? what about bad people skills?
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rman666
A lack of making a profit or positive cash-flow over an extended period of
time would seem to be traits that might doom an entrepreneur.

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tst
Being too egocentric. E.g, if your prospects don't like your product you
should change it and don't insist that it is great and they are too stupid to
use it. It's not about you, it's about them!

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smoyer
Indecision ... get off your butt and do something!

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dmor
believing that a list of traits - either positive or negative - is a
substitute for your own judgement

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Mz
"Traits" are neutral and don't predetermine outcomes.

"Lazy" -- my sons assure me it's another word for "efficient". If done right,
it absolutely can be an asset. "Arrogant" -- often what other people call
"confidence". If you can bring it, other people will accuse you of all kinds
of crap for doing so. So? "Risk averse" -- depends on a lot of things. I am
very risk averse. I expect to go out on my own someday because I don't trust
my future in the hands of BigCo. Seems to risky to me do so.

Traits are two-edged swords. If you are stuck with some trait and it is in
your way, getting it out of your way doesn't necessarily mean changing the
trait. It can mean looking for the right fit between who you are and the world
around you.

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phlux
Efficient people get something done, then have time to spare. Lazy people
don't get anything done.

Confident people listen to reason and input on how to do something they're
already good at, better - and take new information with grace. Arrogant people
believe they operate at a different level than others (See: Jason Calcanis)

Risk-averse people weigh a ton of information in order to actually make the
right step FORWARD. Fear-based people avoid all risk because any movement
forward causes them worry about losing what they already have, thus they don't
gain anything new.

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jasonmcalacanis
I do operate on a different level than others--typically two levels below.

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phlux
Sorry, you're an easy target simply because you have put yourself out there so
much. You do deserve a bit more respect - just some of the things you have
written really hit a nerve with me.

:)

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Mz
"There's no such thing as bad publicity." :-)

(Attributed to Mae West and probably any number of other people.)

