What do entrepreneurial qualities look like?

Commenting on the blog “5 Skills You Must Acquire Before You Can Lead” posted on www.entrepreneur.com by Kate McKay.

I normally do not like reading this style of list. I used to find the content not relatable and very general and at other times extremely obvious. I believe that what I was lacking was an understanding, or a real life example of how these qualities actually manifest themselves in people. After Class 18 with the Sauder Alumni, I gained a completely new understanding of how entrepreneurial qualities can be demonstrated in people and how they can be used in effective ways to create businesses.

Reading through the listed qualities one can clearly see how they relate to the entrepreneurs that came to speak. For example, the number two skill is to “be proactive rather than reactive”. Tom Dobrzanski is a perfect example. He saw an opportunity opening up in the market and reacted before other people realized. He also came through the challenges of building his own studios and negotiating with the municipality.

Jenny Duffy clearly portrays number 4: “Feel passion for what you do”. When Duffy was presenting I could really feel how much she loved what she was doing. She works so hard, takes on so much, because she has that passion carrying her the whole way.

Both entrepreneurs share the fifth quality “Being prepared to do what others won’t”. They both have created unique businesses and have put in more work than most people would be willing to. For me, that is the most inspirational part.