The Key Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur
How my toddler displays them
My darling tornado is practicing the art of entrepreneurship every day. In fact, I think he knows better than I do how to just live and succeed in life, so I have taken a page out of his book in the hopes that others too, (including me), will learn from him.
Here are the key traits of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Opportunistic
Andriel scours the room and clocks the TV remote.
“A-ha! Mummy let go of it for a millisecond,” are his thoughts as he begins to run to it and catches it before I do. I grab it from him and he laughs cheekily.
But this boy does not cease to amaze me as I let down my guard once more and put down the TV remote. There he is again, smiling for what seems no reason, even engaging me in smiling confusedly, until his eyes give away the direction he’s heading in. I, too, am fast, and so grab the remote right before him this time.
Better luck next time, buddy.
My son does not give up. He knows that there will be another time when I will slip up again. He knows the mind of any parent is flawed with forgetfulness.
He carries on going about his day while studying the situation, waiting for the right moment to strike again.
Self-Belief
Andriel’s goal is firmly set in getting the rose-pink colored Google Chromecast remote, and he will succeed.
The boy’s got drive.
He knows he will get the remote eventually. A firm no from his parents means: laugh and try again. He understands that rejection equals opportunity, and perceived failure equals an undiscovered win.
And on it will go until eventually, my husband will get an email thanking him for his purchase of a brand new TV channel subscription, via the rose-colored Google Chromecast that Andriel managed to get his hands on without getting caught. Kudos, son. Kudos.
Sometimes, It’s Who You Know
His dad, the successful business owner and software engineer, acts as the incubator and investor of Andriel’s future business. Even he turns into a softie when his son is around. But he believes in his son’s vision to create and conquer and shares with him the passion to succeed.
During a meal, all Andriel has to do is stick out his hand and his father will be there with nothing less than a warm towel, wiping the mess away.
Snacks, you say? His father will give him all the sugar he wants, for he cannot bear the thought of disappointing his son. But he will sneak an apple in there too, because, well, if you want to live a good life, you have to eat healthily.
His dad will be his mentor and one of Andriel’s many connections to his business ventures, whichever path he chooses.
Communication Skills
Andriel is a sociable creature and lights up the room. Everyone wants to be his best friend. Our toddler is a charmer. He smiles and waves at anyone who will meet his eyes.
Andriel is learning three languages, which will teach him how to learn. It will give Andriel the ability to better understand people and be open-minded.
His communication skills will excel before he has learned how to speak, for he knows how to sign, too. Communication is key to any business, and he will know how to make himself understood. He has had to practice explaining himself in different ways to be understood by those who don’t understand him, like his own father, for his dad does not know how to sign, the poor uncultured soul.
Giving
The biggest lesson of all is my son’s natural desire to bring cheerfulness to others.
He will see another baby crying and instantly he will feel sad for him. He will try to work out what the baby needs and seek to problem-solve. Andriel will attempt to cheer the baby up with a hug, a pat on the back, or a toy.
He understands that in order to succeed he has to give, and that, he does with all his might, sometimes in the form of half-eaten mushed-up peas.
An Entrepreneur Does
Our son knows all too well the power of asking for forgiveness rather than permission.
He will grab a cookie from the snack drawer and eat it right in front of you in the hopes that his casual and confident aura will make you forget that he wasn’t supposed to eat the cookie.
If he’s caught in the act before he has reached the cookie from its home inside the packet, he will make sure to at least get something out of his impending punishment, for he cannot do anything in vain. He will rush and rustle the packet for crumbs right up until his hand is snatched out of it by the grown-up.
On the other hand, when he knows he’s gone one step too far and saying sorry is no longer enough, he will quickly put the snack away and pretend to be doing something else, like drinking his water.
He’ll even make some sounds to deny his wrongdoings and act as if he’s as curious as I am as to why the snack drawer is open again. He’ll turn on my side and become really helpful by slamming it closed with an added babble translating as “really?!” for dramatic effect.
Last Words
In my opinion, all children have what it takes. We are all born with potential.
We are all born with a mind.
We naturally feel fulfilled.
I believe that as we grow up, depending on our surroundings, we pick or unpick the skills we were born with and decide to put more or less energy into them.
My son knows well that he has to listen to his parents and do as he’s told. But we will do everything we can to avoid the fire being put out in him with too much discipline. We will not teach him to conform if it’s not right. We will enable him to explore his curiosity and encourage him to seek to learn all the time.
He will, probably, go against the crowd on more than one occasion, and he will gain respect for it.
He will have a hard time with conflicting statements told to him by different people of authority. We will do our best to teach him to make up his own mind, even if that means doubting others.
Andriel knows what he wants, and we will teach him to continue exploring his desires and working towards achieving goals.
Our son is learning how to be polite, but mostly, I want him to learn the feeling of gratitude so that he can feel happy and see the good in everything.
Andriel acts the part of a prince and is therefore treated as one. He will not get imposter syndrome for he will know who he is and he will get what he deserves — and that — is everything.
This article was inspired by the brilliant fellow writer Nicole Bryan. Thank you.
Sylvia Emokpae, thinker and philosopher, is passionate about self-love, motherhood, and pro-race. See more work like this.