5 Bad Characteristics Of A New Entrepreneur

It’s crucial to know the bad characteristics of a new entrepreneur so that you can, hopefully, identify which, if any, exist in you. Because, I believe, it’s something you can change. You’ll find it imperative to discern these dangerous characteristics (in you) when you’re still in the figuring-things-out phase. And, let’s be honest, we’re always in that phase in some capacity. Being an entrepreneur keeps you humble, doesn’t it?

5 Bad Characteristics #1: Prioritize work over strategizing.

New entrepreneurs are often the hardest working, most driven, inspired, motivated people you’ll ever meet. Work ethic through the roof! In fact, that’s why most people become entrepreneurs because they’re like, “I am running circles around everybody here at the office. I’m the person that takes care of not only my project, but everybody else’s project. So, I should probably be doing this for myself.”

To be frank, that will get you a certain degree of success. But limited. I would suggest you consider how much time you’re working, completing tasks, going 100 miles per hour, and failing to prioritize the time it requires to strategize. 

Now, specifically what I mean by strategizing… develop a plan for implementing new things. Strategizing means to reverse-engineer everything you’re going to do.

5 Bad Characteristics #2: Operating from the employee / manager mindset.

It’s not uncommon for people who are really exceptional managers to believe that they’ve created such amazing success for this company… that they should now leave and go start their own thing. But, a great entrepreneur knows how to find a great manager — because a great entrepreneur isn’t a great manager.

My mindset is to lift my team, to make them feel valuable and important, and to find their strengths, pull them out, and honor them. That’s what makes me an entrepreneur.

5 Bad Characteristics #3: Working from a place of fear.

They fear that:

• They’re going to run out of money, so they think they have to do everything themselves

• Somebody else is doing something better than they are, so it’s very difficult to focus on their own successes and their own path because they’re constantly looking over their shoulder and worried about what everybody else is doing.

• Someone else is copying them.

• Others are comparing them.

The list goes on and on.

I think one of the biggest fears you need to protect yourself from is that of investing money in others (e.g., coaching programs, exceptional consultants, mentors, etc.).

5 Bad Characteristics #4: Not getting credit.

It’s a mistake of mentorship, really. The new entrepreneur worries that someone else will take credit for their success. I’ve seen this happen so many times. That somehow their coach will try to take credit for their success.

On the flip-side, you can also tell when somebody is an accidental entrepreneur because they never give credit to the people who taught them what they know. They don’t come from a place of gratitude.

For the 5th and final bad characteristic, please check out 5 Habits to Avoid as a New Entrepreneur on Build Your Tribe NOW! Plus, you’ll get so many inside stories as to my own journey!

At the end of the day, dear entrepreneur, you gotta have faith. You have to have faith this will work, in your mentors, and in those people who are willing to share their answers. Have faith that you’re not supposed to be working as much as you’re supposed to be planning and strategically figuring out where you’re going to go next.

It’s no accident you’re an entrepreneur, but you’ll accidentally find yourself back in the role of employee if you don’t learn how to have faith in yourself and… in people.