The success of a business is determined largely by the person who owns it and runs it: the entrepreneur. His educational background, professional skills and relevant work experience all play a role, but more significant than these are his personality and his behaviour.
Self-knowledge is very important in entrepreneurship; it means looking critically at yourself and then determining (or learning to determine) a strategy that enhances your personal effectiveness. New business creation involves creating, chasing down and exploiting opportunities, a process that puts entrepreneurs into situations that require them to take on a certain ‘character'.
Entrepreneurship is seeing opportunities, exploiting opportunities and creating value for one self and for the environment. It is the ability to create and build something form practically nothing. It is initiating, doing, achieving, and building an enterprise or organisation, rather than just watching, analysing or describing one. It is the knack for sensing an opportunity where others see chaos, contradiction and confusion. It is the ability to build a founding team to complement your own skills and talents. It is the know-how to find, marshal and control resources (often owned by others) and to make sure you don't run out of money when you need it most. Finally, it is the willingness to take calculated risks, both personal and financial - and then do everything possible to get the odds in your favour.
Timmons definition highlights certain personality traits and skills - for example being outcome oriented and creative - that are crucial at the start of a new business venture. However, it is difficult for an entrepreneur to determine whether and to what extent he has the talents required. Others, like his consultant, customer or financier, will have an equally hard time doing so. Nevertheless, consciously or not, the entrepreneur will be judged. The better he is aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, the better he will be at mapping out a personal strategy that suits him best. For example, should he work alone or in a team, doing the selling himself or contract it out, devise his own formula or join a franchise?
With E-Scan the entrepreneur finds the answers to these questions. It will give instant insight into his strong and weak points, and more important how to address them! EScan is an internet test and gives entrepreneurs an immediate and objective assessment of their entrepreneurial profile. It combines Management theory and methods used by psychological testing centres. Unique in it's own. It has been developed by leading scientists in the Netherlands and is very successful there. EScan automatically generates a detailed profile in words and images and compares this profile with the profile of successful entrepreneurs in different sectors. Uncovering stronger and weaker points. A must for every entrepreneur. For it is not so much about the business plan, but about the person behind the plan. Start the E-Scan and discover your entrepreneur skills!
For more information visit www.entrepreneurscan.co.uk
