by: Tim Knox
I was asked the other day what personality traits I thought were important to entrepreneurial success. I immediately gave my preprogrammed reply about passion and dedication and hard work. After taking some time later to ponder the question a little deeper (I normally operate in shallow waters), I came up with a more detailed checklist for entrepreneurial success. This is by no means a definitive list, but I'd be willing to bet that if you don't have at least a majority of these traits, your chances of business success will be greatly diminished.
You must be self motivated.
If you don't have the wherewithal to bounce out of bed each day without your spouse drenching you with cold water, chances are you don't have the self motivation or discipline required to be an entrepreneur. Business demands that you take action based solely on your own volition. You have to do a hundred things every day that will not get done unless you make yourself do them.
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You can't be afraid of hard work.
If you think working for someone else is hard work, try starting your own business. You will be required to give every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears you can muster and then some. You will have to work long hours and be on call 24/7, at least in the beginning. If the mere thought of hard work makes you tired, maybe you should just keep your cushy day job.
You should have experience in the type of business you plan to start.
If you can't locate your car's engine you have no business buying an oil change franchise. The most successful business owners have prior experience in the industry in which they have set up shop. Consider working in an industry at least part time for a year before jumping in with both feet.
You must be able to climb back on the horse.
I always say: "If business was easy, everybody would do it." Starting a business is hard work and the odds for failure are against you in the first few years. If you want to ride herd on your own business, you must be willing to fall off your horse and get back on a few times without giving up.
You need the support of your family.
When you start a business you may have to spend more time away from the family than you like. The business may also put a strain on you financially. You will have enough obstacles in your way without having to worry if you have the support of your family and those closest to you
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You must have a thick skin.
If your feelings are easily hurt, keep your non-threatening day job because business is not for you. Many days in business, rejection waits around every corner and you must be able to handle rejection without taking it personally.
You must interact well with others.
Being an entrepreneur requires interacting with a variety of people, from your own employees to vendors to customers to investors. You must have the ability to effectively manage people without offending them; the ability to accept good advice from mentors and politely discount the bad; the ability to overlook mistakes or quietly rectify them; and the one I have trouble with: the ability to tolerate incompetence without losing your cool (at least not on the outside).
The deeper your pockets the better.
The number one cause of business failure is a lack of money. Before you start your business you should have access to enough capital to see you through until the business can sustain itself.
You must be able to delegate.
Running a business requires the performance of dozens of simultaneous tasks and it's foolish to try to handle them all yourself. You must learn to put your trust in others. If you can't dish out responsibility without worrying over the result, your business growth will be limited.
Previous business ownership is a plus.
Prior business ownership is not a prerequisite, but it can't hurt. Many successful entrepreneurs have the skeletons of past businesses rattling around in their closet.
Another of my sayings:
Business is a lot like marriage: you learn a lot from the first one that may come in handy the second or third time around.
With that kind of advice you can see why I didn't go into marriage counseling.
Here's to your success!
Tim Knox
About The Author
Tim Knox
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Playing Chess in Russia ? The Agony of Victory
Playing Chess in Russia ? The Agony of Victory
by: Rick Chapo
Russians have a thing for chess and, frankly, are very good at it. Being from San Diego, I thought chess was something you put photo albums in.
Playing Chess
Playing chess requires thinking ten or twelve steps ahead. If I wanted to understand the Russian mind, I had to learn to play chess. If nothing else, it would be a good way to pass the time. This I was told by Robert, an American living in the same town as me.
I wasn?t particularly excited about learning, but gave in one day after growing tired of staring out the window. I had seen the movie, ?Searching for Bobby Fisher?. What more could I possibly need? How hard could it be?
After beginning the game, Robert took pity on me after I apparently made some moves that were questionable. He explained why he was making particular moves and the resulting implications for my king. The game proceeded slowly...
Playing Chess in Russia ? The Agony of Victory
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80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
by: Kah Joon Liow
?Just give me the basics!?
That?s what this Chinese pronunciation guide is all about.
It?s all that you need to know Chinese pronunciation to get by.
The 80% that?s important.
To speak Mandarin, the first thing to learn is Chinese pronunciation of words using the system known as pinyin.
Pinyin is the Romanized Chinese phonetic system and is the most effective aid to learning Mandarin today.
(Romanized means using English alphabets.)
Pinyin was invented in the 1950?s so that anyone, especially English speaking people, could learn Chinese pronunciation easily.
Most of the letters in pinyin have the same sounds as letters of the alphabet ? with only a few exceptions.
It?s really a very practical pronunciation system.
Can you imagine an English speaker trying to pronounce Chinese characters without pinyin?
(By the way, pinyin...
80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
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Spyware IS Good
Spyware IS Good
by: Andrew Wroblewski
How many times per week do you run your antivirus protection or anti-spyware or adware programs to ensure that your paranoia about having an infected machine is just that, paranoia?
With so many problems in the computer infection world, one cannot really blame themselves for checking up on their system on a routine basis.
However, do you ever really think about where all these programs come from because someone out there must be sending them out, they don?t just appear through spontaneous generation.
This makes one ponder the question as to who is sending these things?
There are thousands of spyware, adware, and Trojan horse programs that are running rampant throughout cyber space as you read this article.
But if you really think about it, just as war might be considered good for the economy, these computer infestation programs are good for the economy.
If you...
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Romantic Weekend Getaways
Romantic Weekend Getaways
by: Steve Gillman
Romantic weekend getaways can be a second honeymoon or your first vacation together. When you don't have the time or money for a long trip, try one of the following.
Luxuriate Together
Spending time at a nice hotel is the most obvious and common romantic weekend getaway, and with good reason. It is wonderful to be waited on and relax in a hot tub together. The best hotels for this will have a pool, a hot tub (preferably in the room) and even a lounge where you might be able to go dancing.
In Michigan, this might be the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. This is where they filmed the Christopher Reed movie, "Somewhere In Time." There are no cars, so you'll have see the island together by horse carriage.
Romantic Weekend Getaways - Outdoors
If you both enjoy getting outside, you may want to consider a camping weekend. Whether you want to really rough it, and put on the backpacks,...
Romantic Weekend Getaways
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80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
by: Kah Joon Liow
?Just give me the basics!?
That?s what this Chinese pronunciation guide is all about.
It?s all that you need to know Chinese pronunciation to get by.
The 80% that?s important.
To speak Mandarin, the first thing to learn is Chinese pronunciation of words using the system known as pinyin.
Pinyin is the Romanized Chinese phonetic system and is the most effective aid to learning Mandarin today.
(Romanized means using English alphabets.)
Pinyin was invented in the 1950?s so that anyone, especially English speaking people, could learn Chinese pronunciation easily.
Most of the letters in pinyin have the same sounds as letters of the alphabet ? with only a few exceptions.
It?s really a very practical pronunciation system.
Can you imagine an English speaker trying to pronounce Chinese characters without pinyin?
(By the way, pinyin...
80/20 Guide to Chinese Pronunciation -- Part 1
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Betting Portfolio Management
Betting Portfolio Management
by: Jess Kirley
The subject of financial investment is such a wide and varied area. We all know (or should know), that investing surplus funds is a sound idea; nothing new there. If you make the decision to invest, what investment options do you have?
1. Property - unit, house, holiday house, commercial property, a managed property investment fund etc.
2. Shares - stock options, different stock investment sectors such as small capitalisation mining companies, international or local share funds etc.
3. Fixed Interest - bonds, convertible notes, fixed deposits etc
The above are your major investments categories in which you may be looking to invest.
These are the 'traditional' type of investments however there are other investment areas which are just as, or more profitable than your main 'stable' of investment options. These alternative investment options include tree crops, vintage cars,...
Betting Portfolio Management
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My Top 3 Betfair Trading Secrets
My Top 3 Betfair Trading Secrets
by: Sam Chim
Are you sick of losing your money on Betfair?
Over 80% Betfair Members LOSE money, are you one of them? If you are then I?ve got some good news for you. I?m going to share my top 3 Betfair Trading Secrets with you for free.
Before I share my secrets with you, I want to make sure that you are familiar with the term ?Betfair Trading?. This is when we do not just back or lay bets, we trade them??to GUARANTEE a profit. All you need to do is back at a high price and lay at a lower price on the same outcome in an event. If you want to learn more about this method, I recommend you to take a look at my website (provided below).
Now that I?ve got that out of the way, I?m assuming you know how to trade on Betfair now. Here are My Top 3 Betfair Trading Secrets:
Tip 1:
Study the market you are going to trade and stick with it until you completely ?master? it. For example, I specialise...
My Top 3 Betfair Trading Secrets
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Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
by: Joy Cagil
Mont Blanc stands proud as the highest Alp. Yet one of the most photographically reproduced is Matterhorn with the village of Zermatt at its feet.
When I first saw Matterhorn from the ground up, I felt as if I was looking at a solidified ardent flame. A native who saw me look at it with awe said: ?You can climb it,? as if it were nothing. I laughed...not at him but at me. I wouldn?t dare think of trying that.
In Zermatt, as well as other places, locals show off their skill by the number of times they have climbed the Matterhorn; although, many fall numerous times. A local had climbed it more than 300 times. His wife shrugged: ?Useless to say how many times,? she said. ?The mountain is going nowhere. It stays there and only the workless (also meaning worthless) do the climbing.?
There are no cars in Zermatt. Transportation is possible by using the cog train...
Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
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