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Are entrepreneurs BORN or MADE? The members of Succeed: Small Business Network weigh in with

20 perspectives on the age-old debate.

“I believe I was born to be an entrepreneur. I feel as though what I do now was

predestined for me long before my birth. Let’s face it, entrepreneurship is a lot

harder than it looks. Some people just weren't born with the natural drive,

motivation, persistence, dedication, and perseverance as entrepreneurs.”

Brittni Abiolu

Owner & Founder of CapitaLinker.com, Inc.

“I believe entrepreneurs are made. You are born with certain traits that will

make it more of a reality: taking risks, being fanatical about achievement

and success, and stopping at nothing to get it. I notice that is the one trait

all successful entrepreneurs have — many times it is nothing more than

perseverance that does the trick.”

Faye Turner

Paralegal of Law Offices of Bruce Kiselstein

“Some people have the gift for entrepreneurship while some people have

ended up becoming entrepreneurs because of circumstances. But everyone

needs to have strong work ethic and be lifelong learners, regardless of

whether they have the natural gift for entrepreneurship or they have to work at

it. Even someone extremely gifted like Mozart had to do a whole lot of

practicing to be really good at what he did.”

Nancee Marin

Marketing Professional

“I look at an individual like a pumpkin seed. Each pumpkin seed [shares]

genetic traits with its ancestral pumpkin plants. However, it is how the plant is

taken care of when it is growing, where it is grown, and other environmental

conditions that will determine how the pumpkin will turn out. In the same way,

a person is born with certain characteristics that may make him or her more or

less able to be a successful entrepreneur.” Nicholas P. van Vliet

Business Development and Sales at Atlantic Trading

“A little of both. I'm sure that most people will adjust to whatever

environment they find themselves in... If that happens to be an

environment of entrepreneurial types, then there's a good chance

they'll adopt entrepreneurial ways about them.”

Eric Brewer

BS in Business Management from WGU, Entrepreneur

“I would have to say born with it. Everyone is born with their own

personality traits. An entrepreneur — well, let's say a

SUCCESSFUL entrepreneur — must possess ambition, drive, and

common sense. It's hard to teach those things.”

Melody Gonzalez

Human Resources Manager

“Crazy to say born, but some of us are born better athletes, artists, have more

common sense or excel in math and science. Entrepreneurs are born and

view business, projects and work differently than others. If they make it, they

start again because they have to — and if they don’t, they are looking for the

next chance to do it again.”

John J. Mahon

Strategic Payments

“Everything that you are is a collection of experiences. Sure a kid that is 6'6",

275 is more inclined to be a football star than the kid who is 5'5" and 150.

However, not every big kid is a good football player and not every small kid

is a bad one. Parents, mentors, and friends light the spark; experiences,

(good and bad) provide the fuel.”

Mark T. Davis

Experienced Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics Executive

“You either have it or you don't. Some people just want a job and

be told what they need to do to make it to the next paycheck. If

they feel stressed, they just get another job. If you can't juggle

many balls at the same time, you don’t make the cut.”

Elliott Hirsh

Owner at Levis Hot Dogs

“It's an inherent personality trait: you're either a risk taker or you're not,

so I would say ‘born.’ However, anyone with persistence, passion and

a clear goal of what they want to accomplish can be entrepreneurial

and overcome what nature didn't provide.”

Elliot Galdy

President and Owner, AdForce, Inc.

“I would lean toward born. There is a very small percentage of people who

have a desire to lead. If we were all born to lead, then who would follow?

Then of those leaders, there is an even smaller percentage with the drive to

forsake the consistency of being employed for the peaks and valleys of

owning your own business.”

Joseph Lockhart

Lockhart Low Cost Cleaning

“Everyone is born an entrepreneur. All children (well, 99 percent) are

naturally curious, fearless, brave, and their whole existence is about

discovery, observation, and trying new things to learn about the world

around them.”

Sydney Morgan Diamond

CFO/Controller at Sound Answering & Business SVC

“I have tons of great ideas from books to martial arts programs to inventions.

Right now my business is to put one of those ideas into action and ta-da, I'm

an entrepreneur. It has little, if anything, to do with being born with any

tendencies, or even the way we are raised. What do we want and how much

do we want it? What are we willing to do to get it? There's the difference.”

Michelle Moore

Owner/Instructor EMPOWERED Women's Self-Defense

“My opinion is that success is like everything in life — it's a learnable skill. I was

‘born’ with ‘drawing talents’ but did not become a great artist because I chose not

to work hard on it. However, I became an entrepreneur by first making a choice,

accepting the challenges, and learning from them to get where I am today. Talent

only makes it easier in the beginning, but one must want to be ‘made’ by

overcoming obstacles and difficulties.”

Shue Han Chou

Business Development Consultant/PMO Manager at Ohana, Inc.

“The answer is both. You have some who develop that

entrepreneurial mindset over time based upon experiences, and

others who just do not like being told what to do and love to

experiment with new things.”

Nick Olivas

Marketing Sales Representative, Loan Processor

“Born. Anyone can learn, adapt, find themselves in a fortunate situation but

this does not change their fundamental DNA. Entrepreneurs have certain

common traits, regardless of whether they find themselves self-employed or

employed by others. They are not afraid to question the status quo, take risks

and find excitement in improving things rather than maintaining them.”

Ruth Xovox

Head of Compliance and Co-Founder of DataDivider

“Everyone is born with a different set of traits and abilities. The determining factor

is nurturing and encouragement. Do parents encourage their children to discover

solutions to challenges? Do parents give positive reinforcement? Do parents let

them know that all people face obstacles? Success and accomplishment is

largely a matter of choice.”

Leland Burton

Group Benefits Specialist

“I have to say born. My upbringing was in a family who served the

UK government at war and through peace time. Absolutely nothing

about that upbringing could be seen as causative of my being

entrepreneurial. One of the most common comments I got when

starting businesses was, ‘Where did you get that from?’”

Andrew Smith

Vice President, Lightyear Wireless

“Those of us who have vision and see the opportunity are born

entrepreneurs. The rest have to be trained and taught, or they just

don't see the possibilities.”

Wanda Stephenson

Executive Consultant, Rodan + Fields

“Every blossom bud wants to bloom, but whether it turns

to fruit is determined by its roots attached to the tree.”

John Davis

Howard Industries

Cover Slide: Horia Varlan

Photo #2: Mark Skipper

Photo #3: ArtsieAspie

Photo #4: Francesco De Francesco

Photo #5: Rich Bowen

Photo #6: wiwin.wr

Photo #7: Walker Carpenter

Photo #8: See-ming Lee

Photo #9: Ed Yourdon

Photo #10: Andy Hares

Photo #11: NVJ

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Photo #13: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Headquarters

Photo #14: Chris Lewis

Photo #15: Adam Hodgson

Photo #16: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

Photo #17: Audio Luci Store

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Photo #19: Jeff Babbit

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Photo #21: Steve Garry

Join the Discussion:

Are entrepreneurs BORN or MADE?

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