Effective Entrepreneurs: 5 Traits They Have in Common

Being an entrepreneur is not as simple as having a great idea, getting investors, and opening the doors to your new business.  It requires a lot of hard work and planning to open a business and you simply might not have what it takes to get it done.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do an honest assessment of your personality traits to see if you might harbor the winning combination needed to become an effective entrepreneur.  Here are just a few of the traits that must be present if you want to succeed in the professional enterprises you decide to tackle.

1. Inspiration.  In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to have the next great idea on the backburner at all times.  You not only have to embrace innovation, you also need to be flexible enough to flow with the changing tides of consumer taste.  It can be tempting to stick with the one good idea that takes off, but keep in mind that economics are cyclical.  Since consumer goods tend to go in and out of fashion, an effective entrepreneur always has a lot of irons in the fire.
2. Resolve.  There are going to be a lot of times when you fall on your face as an entrepreneur, and everyone from Bill Gates (Windows Vista) to Donald Trump (Time has a Top 10 list!) has had these types of professional failures.  But what all effective entrepreneurs have in common is that they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try again.  They may fail nine times out of ten, but when they make it, they make it big.
3. Business sense.  You don’t have to obtain a business degree to have common sense when it comes to business (although pretty much everyone can benefit from taking courses in economics and business planning).  But if you can’t see why it’s a bad idea to open a high-end retail store that specializes in luxury goods during a recession, then you probably shouldn’t set your sights on becoming an entrepreneur.  You have to be realistic, level-headed, and most of all, aware of the market.  Without a solid understanding of why some businesses fail and others succeed, you can’t hope to compete as an entrepreneur.
4. Charisma.  A good entrepreneur is something of a large-scale panhandler.  At some point, you may have enough capital on hand to funnel into new startups.  But when you’re just starting out, you’re going to need help from investors to get your business ventures off the ground.  This could mean borrowing from banks or other lenders, taking on partners, or gunning for venture capital firms.  But in order to convince these people to cough up the dough you’re going to have to know your stuff and present it in a way that gives them confidence in your ability to succeed and make them a profit.
5. Organization.  You don’t necessarily have to fill your office with color-coded bins and put tamper proof labels on privileged files in order to be an effective entrepreneur, but you do need to create a solid business plan and have all of your ducks in a row when you pitch investors.  And when you’re in business, you either need to keep meticulous care with records or hire someone that you trust to do it for you.  Once you open the doors to your business, effective organization is a must if you want to keep them open.

Carol Montrose writes for SeaReach, a manufacturer of labels, tags, and security documents.

By Annie Favreau from Inside Jobs

Whether you’re a graduate on your first employment hunt or a young professional looking for a career change, you want to choose a job that’s got a future. One way to do this? Pick a career in a new or developing field. Here are five jobs that hadn’t been invented when you were in grade school:

Digital Journalist – Digital journalists are like the energizer bunnies of journalism: you find stories quicker and deliver news faster by blogging, micro-blogging, vlogging, texting, tweeting, and generally feeding the social media frenzy.

This is a relatively new field, born from the public’s ever increasing consumption of on-demand, easy-to-digest news. As such, the new breed of reporters must distinguish which stories are best told through what medium—words, photographs, video, audio recording, or visual graphics.

A word of warning: because you’re often working without the safety net of an editor, digital journalists need a strong knowledge of journalism ethics and media laws. That way, you can avoid career-killing situations, like getting sued for libel.

Average salary: $25,480–$51,210

Environmental Economist – Mathematically minded folks who are interested in greening up their jobs should consider becoming Environmental Economists. This career choice marries ecological and economic sustainability: you perform cost/benefit analysis of government policies that deal with air pollution, water quality, waste, and global warming.

Environmental Economics has been around for a while. But now that everyone and their mother are concerned about shrinking their carbon footprints (and rightly so), this career field is developing into a professional hot spot.

Average salary: $60,990–$119,630

TSA Officer – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA for short) was created exactly ten years ago in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Since then, TSA agents have been screening passengers, baggage, and cargo to protect our friendly skies.

At first glance, this job might not seem a little…well, boring. Going through some lady’s bag to find her illegal tweezers isn’t a job most people dream about. However, TSA officers often receive extensive training in the fields of security, intelligence, and counter-terrorism which can lead to other career openings. And you’re the first line of defense against any and all threats.

Average salary: $21,980–$39,990

Forensic Accountant — If you’re a math whiz but have always secretly fantasized about investigating and bringing down criminals, why not combine your two interests and enter the world of forensic accounting?

Investigating insurance claims, tax evasion, money laundering, and fraud are all part of the daily grind. But it’s not all paper trails and numbers; forensic accountants are often called as expert witnesses in court.

Technically, this job is more than ten years old, but the demand has grown exponentially in recent times (Bernie Madoff, anyone?).

Average salary: $46,740–$79,470

Online Reputation Manager – Anyone who’s Googled themselves understands the value of an online reputation manager.

Whether you’re deleting Facebook photos of a CEO smoking something strange, or responding to complaints about a company’s product, online rep managers works to maintain a pristine online image for their clients.

What’s it take to succeed in this position? Not a lot beyond a firm grasp on social media, strong communication skills, and the willingness to spin a story. The field is so new that even the experts have only been working there for a couple of years.

Average salary: $38,740–$72,180

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site that helps people discover what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there.

Some how it’s August already. Every month I wonder where the previous few weeks went, and here we are again. Although we are on day 487 (maybe my calculations are a bit off) of 100+ degrees here in Texas, I am beyond excited to head to Chicago for the 20sb Summit (that’s the conference for 20something bloggers if you don’t already know)!

I am excited for a few reasons…

a) I love Chicago
b) some of my favorite people are members of 20sb (if you are a 20something with a blog and not already a member – remedy this)
c) it’s been a while since I’ve spoken in a conference
d) did I mention it’s sweltering in Texas?

OH! Did I forget to mention I am a SPEAKER @ 20sb!! I will be on a panel with the likes of Ryan Paugh (co-founder of Brazen Careerist and all around starter of awesomeness) and Laurel Moffat (Communications Specialist at Southwest Airlines – hello dream job!).

Our official panel description:

Tweet Your Way to the Top // Landing Your Dream Job in Social Media

Get the inside scoop on turning your passion for social media into a career from those who are living the dream.  Successful social media entrepreneurs Ryan Paugh and Elysa Rice will discuss how and why the 20SB generation is a workforce to be reckoned with and how to best represent yourself and your social media expertise in your communications with potential employers.  Southwest Communication Specialist, Laurel Moffat, will round out the session by sharing her career journey as well as providing insights on how Southwest recruits for positions within their social media team.

There’s More:

As if that news wasn’t exciting enough, I have one more bit of information to share. I have TWO FREE TICKETS to giveaway*!!

All you have to do to enter: is leave a comment (here, on Facebook, or you can email me if you want it to be anonymous) with at least 1 question you’d like to know about using social media to find your dream job. Easy enough right?
- extra entries for sharing this post on Facebook or Twitter (with hashtag #20sbsummit), “Liking” GenPink on Facebook, and/or thinking out of the box in relation to how you should be chosen.

Last but not least: the Deadline – Wednesday, August 3rd 11:59pm CST

disclaimer: You can thank A Squared Group for providing these free tickets. The winners will each receive one conference pass, you will be responsible for your own lodging and travel to Chicago.

In case you’ve missed the memo, in 2011 chances are you will not be offered the job of your dreams by submitting your resume to a generic resumes@bigcompany.com email address, or better yet faxing it to HR. *excuse me while I stop laughing long enough to regain my composure*

I’ll make this quick…

The short version is DJ Waldow is looking for a job. Although DJ, @djwaldow, may already be in high demand because of his internet stardom and history with a great company, he’s going about job hunting in a creative fashion.

Number 1: He asked for his contacts to make a 30 second video of why a company should hire him.

Number 2: He made an interactive video resume, talking through his work experience.

You can watch that and read all the details about what he’s looking for at http://ar.gy/hire. And that brings me to…

Number 3: He is asking for help in his search.

Like my mama always says “If you want to G.E.T. you have to A.S.K.”

Love it! I have no doubt a great company will snatch him up very soon, and I’d recommend taking DJ’s lead if you’re looking for new opportunities.

The following is a guest post submitted by a GenPink reader. If you are interested in guest posting you can submit your ideas/topics or post here.

Imagine your excitement as you get the call requesting you to come in for an interview after passing your resume around to what seemed like every recruiter and potential employer in town. Think about the anticipation that builds as you get dressed in your best business attire, catch every red light on your way to the office (that always seems to happen, doesn’t it?), and then search for the right office in the building. Picture yourself hastily turning your cell phone on silent and walking, calm and collected, through the doors to what you hope will be your future workplace. This scenario is both adrenaline and anxiety producing, but it’s something that every job hunter goes through to find that perfect position.

What are you to do, then, when your excitement gives way to panic as the interviewer, ten minutes into your meeting, turns the topic of conversation away from your resume and to your favorite political candidate in the upcoming elections? Though this may come off as a highly unprofessional move on behalf of the interviewer, the truth is that some companies are actually using taboo topics to gauge your performance under pressure – and your ability to shape your answers to their company’s views.

Unfortunately, politics isn’t the only taboo topic that these interviewers will choose from. So, what should you do if you are asked a question that would traditionally never be discussed in an interview? How should you respond to make yourself seem competent, confident, and discreet? Below is a list of taboo topics that you may run in to, and how to respond to them in good taste.

Politics

The question of politics is one that is better left unasked in an interview, naturally, but some companies want to push your buttons while you sit in the hot seat, so hiring managers ask the tough questions to pull you out of your shell and see if you have what it takes to work for their company. When this particular question arises there is one thing you most certainly don’t want to do, and that is get into a serious conversation about political ideology or the unimpressive candidates that are running this year.

Instead, you should play the part of the diplomat and spin the question into another direction. For example, if a political party you know is actively involved with a charity or organization that you believe in (one that is nonpartisan, of course), go ahead and say something to the effect of, “I love that the political world is looking outside its own sphere. Just yesterday I read that some prominent politicians are involved in my favorite charity! I love working with (name of charity); it allows me to share my skills with others while keeping my mind sharp and in the game.” Then go on to explain how the volunteer work you do actually strengthens your professional competency.

Religion

A deeply personal and oftentimes controversial matter, religion is one of those topics that you would assume interviewers would keep as far away from the conversation as possible. However, sometimes the topic does come up, especially when it comes to religious beliefs that may interfere with the expectations of the job.

The best way to respond to the topic of religion is to be respectful and voice a tolerance of others while remaining unwilling to discuss the issue in further detail. Remember that you want this job, but also remember that religious discrimination is still alive and well, unfortunately. Keeping a polite but neutral stance will allow you to answer the question without compromising your interview.

Remaining Professional

Basically, you want to answer any controversial question in a way that is strong yet noncommittal, so that you don’t end up offending a potential colleague. Remember that sometimes interviewers are trying to see if you can handle pressure, and that remaining composed and speaking clearly while spinning the discussion in an appropriate direction will get you much farther than becoming emotionally involved in the topic.

Keep in mind the fact that many interviewers are just as nervous as interviewees, especially if they are new or are under a lot of pressure to fill the position. Everyone gets a bit antsy when meeting new people, so do your best to make the conversation comfortable and you should be able to breeze through any taboo topics that arise.

A writer for www.peterorszagsite.org, Terry Crenshaw interprets current economic trends. She traces the ideas of Peter Orszag and other leading experts relating to the economy and the healthcare industry.

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This guest post is part of a new series Ask a Recruiter here on GenPink.

You like to fish…?? Thinks the HR person as the cursor hovers over the tiny red X at the top of the screen.

You were the perfect candidate…UNTIL…they scrolled to your hobbies section.

Listen, I get it…how were you supposed to know the HR person you sent your resume to (for THE perfect job) just so happened to be that state’s president of PETA and a Vegitarian. Fishing is not animal cruelty in your eyes, but in their eyes, it is a helpless animal swimming along and minding its business when some yahoo decides to put a hook in its mouth and ruin a perfectly good day!

Here’s my theory folks…why allow yourself to be DISQUALIFIED for a job, before you even show your pearly whites at the door?

As Barbara would say, Just Say No!!

I get it, you want to tell the world you love to fish, you are president of the PTA, you go to church every week or whatever else it is you find amusing.

Here’s the thing… We don’t care!!

Better yet, why not let them find out these things in the interview…

Here’s a great example: It’s like when your dating? Remember how women always say keep the men guessing…no?…ok, well that would explain why you’re single…kidding!!

Honestly, just like on a date, you want to keep your intervierwer guessing or probing for answers. If you walk in the door and recognize their accent is “not from around there” and you can spot that accent anywhere, since you were born in that same city!!! Use it!

But that is the time to use it! This is the time to talk about culture in Montana or New York. Go ahead…compare deli’s or fish stories.

It is unnecessary to put useless information on the resume, because you never know, you see it as a plus, but that Vegan, PETA state president may hate you for it, and may delete your resume, before you ever get a word in edgewise!

If you have a question (anonymous questions welcome) you’d like answered by Ms. Rockstar Recruiter fill out the form on the Ask a Recruiterannouncement post.

This guest post is part of a new series Ask a Recruiter here on GenPink.

If you want your resume to stand out above the rest, first thing’s first…consult a professional!

As an executive recruiter for the past 5 years, I have seen thousand of resumes and I have placed hundreds of candidates. However, in order to get your foot in the door, I have to make sure your resume looks its best and speaks to exactly what you can bring to the table!

You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to make your resume look its best, but you better be damn sure it looks the best out of the bunch!

In this candidate driven market that we are living in today, the moment your resume lands on that hiring authority’s desk, it has to grab their attention and it has to do it IMMEDIATELY!

I say…TRASH THE OBJECTIVE!! I have yet to meet a hiring authority that has read an objective. We want info and we want it instantly. I have too much on my plate to sit through what you want with your zen, ideal position…

Who the hell cares?

Get to the nitty gritty and get to it quickly!!

Trash the objective and show your best feature, whether that is the Masters degree you worked your toosh off for; or the amazing experience you have in the field you are applying.

Show ‘em what your momma gave ya…or better yet…what’s going to make the company you want to work for money!

If you have a question (anonymous questions welcome) you’d like answered by Ms. Rockstar Recruiter fill out the form on the Ask a Recruiter announcement post.

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A few weeks ago I asked the hypothetical question “what would you do if you didn’t NEED to work? let’s say, all of your money/bills were taken care of. what would you do?”. I was pretty surprised how much overlap there was in the answers.

What would you do if you didn’t need to work? Most common answers:

• Start my own company/agency/business
• Travel
• Go back to school/Get an additional degree
• Sleep more
• Move (back home, to another country, to a place near water, etc)
• Volunteer
• Sports (both coach and play)

A few others

• Learn Languages
• Do PR for causes I believe in.
• “Support a totally awesome but unorthodox cause. (Required composting/Recycling across Metro area? I have others but they’re pretty out there…)” – Andrew L
• Aim to be on a renowned eligible bachelor list
• Skydive. Everywhere. (chances are you know who said this one)
• Write stories
• Paint pictures
• “help my husband bring his mad scientist ideas to fruition.” – Teri
• “Raise a family: Adopt kids, maybe even be a foster mom.” – Julia
• “Make pizza and burgers, like all different kinds. I’m not kidding. And I would serve them to rich people and homeless people, because seeing homeless people is one of the few things that breaks my heart. The rich would cover the cost of food for the homeless. I’ve thought about this a little bit actually” – Evan
• ‘unworking’ in a 3rd world country helping others… Maybe an orphanage… – @cadijordan

Interesting thoughts on the subject:

• “Laziness is for the weak and the immortal.” – Christina B
• “I don’t agree with the bit about laziness, at least not in the traditional sense. Doing absolutely nothing for a period of time is ESSENTIAL if you’re working in the “real world” – or at least doing something that recharges the batteries, ya know?” – Sydney Owen

So I have this awesome friend. We’ve been friends since we were two scrawny kids, I believe around age 8 & 9. In addition to being a great friend she is also a kick-ass recruiter. Seriously though. Consequently, she’s the resident question answerer about all things job related.

“Um will you look at my resume”… “also what should I say in response to this email”… “oh and they want an answer to XYZ”. These conversations happen quite frequently with her. So last week, after answering about 47 questions, she came up with the idea of making her recruiter knowledge available to the wonderful reader of GenPink.

So… I figured today ON HER BIRTHDAY! we might as well introduce it.

So this is how it will work, since most questions you’ll want to ask a recruiter will be things you don’t want your name attached to, I created a secret submission form (okay fine it’s google docs). You can enter your name, make up a funny alias, or enter nothing. Once a month Andrea and I will go through the questions and compile the answers here on GenPink.

Sounds like fun ehh!

Speaking of fun… we are celebrating her birthday tonight with a girl’s night sushi dinner! Can’t wait.

Apparently resumes are a hot topic with guest bloggers on genpink lately. OR maybe resumes are just a hot topic in general at the moment as it appears the job market is picking back up. Who knows. I’ll leave you that to ponder while you read this guest post from Brendan Cruickshank.

Another day, another resume. Or to be more accurate, another ten seconds, another resume. That’s how headhunters and recruiters start to feel after a morning spent viewing one resume after another. If I’m looking at four cookie cutter resumes, I don’t know who to bring in for an interview. After a while, those perfect “play by the rules” resumes all look the same.

But do they have to?

Depending on your situation and the type of job you are looking for, you may be able to do something more creative with your resume. You can join the growing trend of people who are finding ways to personalize their resumes by taking a different approach. Below are four options you may want to consider. They aren’t safe, conventional approaches to resume-writing. They are bold options that show a recruiter that you can take some initiative and you aren’t afraid to take a risk.

A slideshow resume.

You can put together a slideshow presentation using PowerPoint, or you can use a website such as Sliderocket, Slideshare, or Prezi to store a slideshow. A slideshow presentation shows that you know how to use PowerPoint and other slideshow software, and it is the ideal way to present visual information. Certain kinds of creative portfolios, for example, could be presented in a slideshow format. Another option is to include slides showing yourself at work in different workplaces that are listed in your resume. Seeing you at work, even in a still photo, can give a recruiter a better sense of your personality than seeing your duties listed as bullet points on a resume. In a slideshow, you can still list your duties as bullet points if you wish – in the margin, next to the photo. Don’t turn your resume into a slideshow, however, if you do not have any visual information to present. If you do, you will be requiring a human resource manager to take more time to load the resume on a computer without providing any additional information to make it worth the trouble.

A video resume.

You can make your own video resume and load it at your website, or at a site such as YouTube or Vimeo. You can also try using one of the new sites that lets jobseekers make their own video resumes, such as OptimalResume.com, InterviewStudio.com, ResumeBook.tv, or BriteTab.com. I wouldn’t bother with a video resume if you are applying for a job as a bookkeeper. But if you are looking for a job in sales or marketing, a video resume can be an awesome way to show your charisma and creativity. Make sure the audio and video quality in your video resume are perfect, though, or your video resume may make you look incompetent rather than independent and ready to take initiative.

A creative portfolio.

A creative portfolio is an excellent choice if you work in a creative field, or in a field where you provide a product. You would choose a creative portfolio rather than a video resume if you want to showcase your actual work, not you and your personal charm. A portfolio can be presented in a slideshow or video format, but does not have to be. You could have hard copies of your portfolio that you send out via snail mail, but that could get expensive. A better alternative is probably to keep samples of your work online in a location where potential employers can view them, such as at your personal website. If you choose the website option, you should be sure to also include at your website all the other information that should be part of a resume, such as your contact information, education and work history, and references.

A reverse resume.

A reverse resume is a very risky choice, but some daring job hunters are trying it. In a reverse resume, you break all the rules. Instead of using a neutral, professional voice, you might write in a personal, somewhat chatty style. You could tell your favorite joke or anecdote. Or you could focus on what you are looking for in an employer, rather than concentrating on the attributes that you yourself bring to the table. A reverse resume can be on paper, or it can be a video or slideshow. If this option appeals to you and seems to express your personality better than any other option, all I can say is, you know who you are! If you have doubts about this approach, don’t take it.

Don’t take my advice without thinking it through for yourself. (That’s what leads to cookie cutter resumes!) You should know what kind of resume is appropriate for your field – and if you don’t know, then you need guidance from a mentor, but that’s a subject for a different blog post! Think about the kind of resume that is the best fit for the kind of job you are looking for. When you’re ready – go for it!

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