How did you know that you wanted to start your own business?

December 08 2004 - Syracuse Post Standard

Tracy:
I read somewhere many entrepreneurs have other entrepreneurs in their families. This was the case for me. My parents owned a ski shop and clothing boutique in the early 70?s. I grew up in my parent?s businesses watching them sell great products, making their customers happy, and enjoying running their businesses, not realizing I?d be an entrepreneur one day. After a college education and nine years of professional event planning experience, my entrepreneurial spirit grew. I believe my education and professional experience along with growing up around entrepreneurs helped me start my business. I also believe having great faith in yourself and a strong belief in your product or service helps you take the step into entrepreneurship. If you grew up with entrepreneurs in your midst, you should see if you have ?the entrepreneurial spirit? waiting to break out.

Julie:
I think that you either have that entrepreneurial pull or you don?t. You can encourage a tendency that?s already there, but entrepreneurs are born, not made. I have always felt that I would be better to suited to working for myself than for someone else. While working for other people I constantly found myself thinking about ways to make the business run smoother or more efficiently, and I would become frustrated when I wasn?t in a position to make those changes. One of the most appealing things about owning your own business is that when you come up with a brilliant new idea, you can implement it immediately. You don?t have to jump through hoops or wade through a lot of red tape to make it happen. I suspect that one of the personality traits that many entrepreneurs share is a desire for instant gratification.

Ann Marie:
I absolutely agree with Julie, that Entrepreneurs are born and not made. That said, I think I have always felt the urge to ?do my own thing? even before I knew what the ?thing? was. Even when I worked for someone else, I always felt like I was working the hardest and not getting to the top fast enough. I was always thinking about ways to improve things even when I wasn?t at work. I worked at my positions with the same concern I would have it the company was mine. No matter how much I liked the job, it was unfulfilling. Something was definitely missing. Once I started my first business, I knew what was missing and that I couldn?t work for anyone else again. I was hooked. Feeling successful at your job is nothing compared to feeling success at a business you created from an idea in your head and some Chutzpah.