Mrs. Homeschool

But she was left with a question after hearing the interview with Andrea Cockrum, wife of Jim Cockrum, internet marketing and eBay expert.  Andrea and I were talking about whether you can succeed as an entrepreneur if you’re not “hard wired” for it.  Lisa, my transcriptionist asked, “How do I know if I’m wired to be an entrepreneur?”

It was an unusual question for me to ponder.  I’ve ALWAYS been an entrepreneur, so to think about life through a different set of eyes was challenging.  So, I tried to come up with some ways to find out if you are “hard wired” as an entrepreneur and if not, what you need to succeed as one.  It’s a twist on the old “nature vs. nurture” question.

First off, entrepreneurship is just part of who I am.  It’s like my eye color, my skin tone, my quirky laugh.  I’m always coming up with ideas…ideas of how to make my days go more smoothly, how to shop in the grocery store to waste as little time as possible, how to use the knowledge I’ve been blessed with to create new products and services.

Being an entrepreneur seems to be part of my genetic code.

So…most people who are born with that entrepreneurial bend KNOW that they have it.  Our oldest daughter was born with it.  She’s just like her momma…poor thing! :o)

But my husband, my home business owner husband, doesn’t have the natural “bend” towards entrepreneurship.  When he was young, he gave away cinnamon flavored toothpicks instead of selling them.  He doesn’t have those stories that most entrepreneurs have as young kids selling things or creating businesses.

His entrepreneurship comes from the “nurture” side of the entrepreneurial question.  He has been given a strong desire to be a home business owner.  He’s had to learn how to come up with ideas/solutions and how to run a business.  (Note: Just because you’re an entrepreneur does NOT mean you know how to run a business.)

He works very hard at making our business grow, just like any entrepreneur does.

It’s sort of like this:  “Nature” entrepreneurs seem to grow businesses from ideas that have already sprouted, in a field that is already plowed and fertilized.  “Nurture” entrepreneurs can grow businesses from ideas, but they have to grow them from seed, plow the fields and fertilize that land.  A harvest will come from both, but the amount of effort seems to be greater for the “nurture” folks.

For me, creating businesses online is something I do and LOVE.  It usually does not seem like “work” to me and I think that is part of being an entrepreneur.  The creative process fuels you and pushes you forward.

No matter where you (or your children) fall in the “nature vs. nurture” spectrum, you CAN encourage this mindset by associating with people who think like entrepreneurs…and take action!  You have to have action or you’re just an idea factory, not an entrepreneur.