Are entrepreneurs hatched or self-taught?

Steve Warres Author/Franchise Consultant and Entrepreneur

Many professionals over the years have asked this question. How did the elite of business people get to where they are? I believe that people are born with certain traits that have to help them move up the food chain combined with many factors. You look back into your past and you can see some of the underlying factors that made you the way you are. Some are good and some are not so good. Both can be a plus, but it all depends on how you use them. For me, it was my Parents. My father hated life and especially his job. Even though he worked for himself, he never saw what he had. He always spoke of money as something we did not have. If he needed to buy a new pair of shoes, he would work longer that day to make up for the loss of money. He worked 6 days a week from early morning until dark. When the garage door opened everyone scrambled because not knowing what mood he was in. I can tell you it never was good. My mother was a successful businesswoman who enjoyed working and thought of herself as a businesswoman first and a mother second. Both parents never had time for my sister and I. I grew up always wanting to be rich, but not just a little rich, stupid rich. I remember my goal was 300 million by 30 years old. I can tell you that never happened. I was devastated on my 30th birthday but reevaluated my goals and moved forward. The reason I’m telling you this is that I was hatched as an entrepreneur. Life experiences also help you get hatched. Living in Brooklyn New York in the ’60s was another world. As a kid, I remember getting on my bike at the age of 7 and riding miles away from home with my friends. Many good and bad things happened but made me into the person I am now. Times have surely changed and not sure if it’s for the better. Being taught how to run a business can happen and you can be very successful doing that. This is partly why I also advocate for franchises for the right people. Most people grew up in a household that never needed to know how to develop a business from scratch. Their parents didn’t own one, and the public schools don’t teach you how to do that. Most schools never taught you how to fill out a checkbook. So, with the guidance of a franchise system that has figured out a successful business model, a person can be self-taught. Does that mean all franchises will work? Definitely not! It takes that person who has that drive to be more. A person who during hard times (which come) doesn’t give up. The true difference between an entrepreneur and someone who wants to own a business is that an entrepreneur will do whatever it takes to make it happen. They would sell their sole if need be. It’s a feeling that is part of them and a feeling of I have to do this no matter what. And if we don’t, then it usually leads to depression down the road. Not a very good picture at times. But the end result of this is that you can be anything you want. You need to dig deep down into yourself and move ahead. We have a short memory as humans, we forget the pain of past experiences. Ask your spouse or friends how many times you complained about your job. But you keep on going through it and it never changes. So, look at options in your life and plan your life.