Characteristics of an Entrepreneur – Is it necessary for becoming a VA?

If you aspire to be a virtual assistant, you will probably need to have some
basic entrepreneurial traits to assist you in taking the risk of starting your own business.

Characteristics of an entrepreneur are useful to become successful in your business.

Many people believe however that you can only be born with the characteristics of an entrepreneur.

That is actually not true. The fact of the matter is that anyone can learn these traits to make their business adventures successful.

But what are those entrepreneurial traits you need to facilitate your business success?

When you do some research, there are a number of traits that show up repeatedly. However a list of the perfect characteristic profile of an entrepreneur still needs to be found since every successful entrepreneur has his own unique set of characteristics and these can differ from person to person.

Below is a short list of the characteristics of an entrepreneur that we believe can be quite helpful in starting and running a successful virtual assistant business.

Motivation

Your motivation is the reason why you want to start a VA business in the first place. Your motivation is also closely linked to your perception of the rewards that you will receive from your business. These rewards can be anything from not having to commute to work on a daily basis, to the satisfied feeling of being available when your family needs you.

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Tip

If you are not sure what your motivation is at this stage, start by making a clear list of why you want to be a virtual assistant. Ensure that your reasons are such that it will keep you motivated when things are getting tough?

Positive mental attitude / Self-confidence

To have a positive mental attitude means that you are not discouraged easily. That you believe in yourself, your talents, skills, knowledge and your ability to succeed.

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Be in control of what you are doing. Try to tackle problems and stressful situations with confidence. Do not get discouraged by setbacks or failures, criticism and stumbling blocks that you might encounter along the way. Rather see it as challenges. Know that ultimately, believing in yourself is the first thing that will make you succeed.

Lifelong learner

Every day of your life, is an opportunity to learn something new.

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Be willing to ask questions, remain curious, interested and open to new information, technology and knowledge. View setbacks as new opportunities and learning experiences.

Creativity

Creativity is being able to create new ideas to facilitate better opportunities. Being creative helps you find ways to solve problems. You will need creativity and innovation to attract clients and to deliver you services virtually.

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Tip

You can improve creativity by gathering as much information as you can. Think about the problem or issue, brainstorm it and put your thoughts on paper. Eventually an idea will come to you on how to best address the issue at hand.

Physical resilience

It will sometimes be necessary that you work for extended periods of time, especially during the start-up of your business. Sometimes odd and long hours are needed to keep your deadlines and thus your clients happy. Simultaneously you need to tend to your family’s needs. Physical resilience will help you to juggle all these balls without letting one fall..

Be a Self starter

To be a self starter you should be able to work independently even when you are not really feeling up to it. In running your business from home, there will be nobody to look over your shoulder to ensure that work gets done, your marketing campaign gets the right attention and you have a few billable hours in your day.

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Tip

Be self-disciplined in your approached to your work and do not procrastinate on finishing off work that needs to be done.

Goal orientated

Vital characteristics of an entrepreneur usually involve setting reachable short, medium and long term goals.

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It is important for you to set goals and keep them in sight. Round off your goals with high quality planning. It will keep you on the right path and will enable you to reach your final destination..

High Energy levels

It is that feeling when you wake up in the morning and can’t wait to start the day. If you are passionate about your work and the services that you provide, you will have abundant energy to do marketing, handle your business requirements and deliver an exceptional service to your clients.

Establish Networks

Working from home does not mean that you need to be cut-off from other professionals. Establish networks and form alliances with those people who can help you and whom you can help in return.

Strong drive to succeed

A strong drive to succeed is based on the desire and passion to constantly improve the way that you are doing things.

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Be excited about changing processes and systems that do not work optimally. Update it to improve your performance. Execute all your tasks to the best of your ability.

Persistence / Perseverance

There might be a number of disappointments in your virtual assistant career. The ability to handle these dissapointments is one of the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur. Will you be able to persist and persevere during times of difficulty? Are you able to bounce back, pick yourself up and begin over the next day?

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Tip

Dr. Farrah Gray, an entrepreneur and millionaire said the following: “Persistence isn’t everything – it’s the only thing. If you are going to be a success in life, you’ll hear ‘no’ thousands of times. Look at every ‘no’ as an opportunity.”

There are a vast number of characteristics of an entrepreneur that can apply to a virtual assistant business and the list above is by no means exhausted.

Everyone is born with a unique set of talents and traits. The important thing is that, if you think you have the entrepreneurial traits for success – whether they correspond with those listed above or not – go for it!

Start acting on your ideas, because without action, nothing is possible.

The best virtual assistant is an entrepreneur who believes in herself and takes action – one day at a time.