As I watched this list flow by in Twitter, one point at a time, it seemed fascinating to me that the list seems to describe me. I had to answer yes to all 10 points. Are these really all associated with being an entrepreneur? You be the judge:
- You don't read long emails
- You have a short attention span
- You look forward to Mondays
- You hate meetings
- You're very impatient
- You don't stand in lineups (wait in lines)
- You don't REALLY read long contracts even though you say you did
- You hate small talk
- You think most things could be done much quicker
- You often have business dreams
As for me, yes, on all 10 points. Well, sure, with some ifs-and-buts-about-it: maybe I don't hate all meetings, just most of them; and maybe I miss the days when I could focus in hard for several hours and get way more done that I would have thought possible; but still, most of these points hit right on.
So I followed up. The list came from Andrew Patricio, who turns out to be an entrepreneur and a trainer of entrepreneurs (his Twitter bio says "I was born to inspire entrepreneurs") from Ontario, Canada. I'd been following him because of some interesting tweets. We haven't met. In email, he told me he came up with this list while sitting in a doctor's office waiting for an appointment.
Since then (a few days ago), Andrew has posted a revised list (more points) on his blog, BizLaunch Canada.
Instead of 'You look forward to Mondays' i'd say 'You don't know what weekend is' 😉
Guilty on all counts. Every time I see a line, I'm looking at ways to cut the line.
For example, at our local Barnes and Nobles, there is a Starbucks. The line for Starbucks is always short. The line to buy books is always long.
But here's the rub. You can buy books from the Starbucks line.
What a great list. It gave me a good laugh, probably because I know it's true.
Ughh. Guilty as charged!
And I agree with 1st comment.
Next post should be a list of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs 🙂 If you do not write it I will.
Thanks for the great article, Tim. I referenced it on my website biztropolis.ning.com and included some ideas of my own…
1.) You are a restless dreamer ( in terms of real dreams the sort you have in bed at night)
2.) You have proposed more business ideas than anyone wants to admit.
3.) As a child, you dream of ridiculous money making schemes, people may have called you moneyman
4.) You have been making money for as long as you can remember
5.) You would hold a bunch of different jobs without complaint– 100 work weeks are normal for you.
6.) You are a thrill-seeker…(and more on the site!)
I think you, like myself, occasionally come across something so obvious, you should have seen it all along. But, you have no regrets at the discovery, you embrace it.
Interesting post. In addition to a short attention span, successful entrepreneurs also have an uncanny ability to FOCUS. To push aside distractions and focus their energy and efforts on those tasks and priorities that will produce maximum gains.
True; I dont really look foward to Mondays though.
I HATE WAITING IN LINE!
i found a great way to get around an entrance line to an event is to just enter through the exit. There is usually no one checking whos coming in/out, and if you do get busted just say you forgot your laptop/phone/keys/wife inside
A successful Entrepreneur has a Personal life as well as a "Professional" life; the two are fully integrated (24×7).
The successful can discern between the two!
Great list! thanks for sharing!
11. You think of business even in you dreams.