Business America - Formally Pittbsburgh BizNet

Why become an Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurs are found in all industries and have different motives for starting companies. The most common reason cited by CEOs of the Inc. 500, the magazine's annual list of fastest growing private companies, is the desire to control their own destiny. Related to this is a desire for job security now that large corporations regularly downsize staff and streamline operations. Other reasons include making money and building a new company. Two other important basic motives mentioned in other surveys are feeling personal satisfaction with your work and creating the lifestyle that you prefer.

Do entrepreneurs feel that going into business for themselves is worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. In one survey, over 80 percent said they would do it over again.

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs Do you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur? Being an entrepreneur requires special drive, perseverance, passion, and a spirit of adventure in addition to managerial and technical ability. An entrepreneur must also be able to develop and manage the company that implements the idea.

Reasons Entrepreneurs Start Companies

Reason Percentage Citing

To be my own boss or control my own life	41%
To make money	16%
To create something new	12%
To prove I could do it	9%
Because I was not rewarded at my old job	6%
Because I was laid off from my old job	5%
Other	1%

Source: "Inc. 500 Almanac", Inc. 500 (October 22, 1996), p. 24

The Entrepreneurial Personality
Many of the studies of the entrepreneurial personality have found similar traits. In general, entrepreneurs are:

Ambitious. Entrepreneurs have a high need for achievement and are competitive.
Independent. They are self-starters who prefer to lead rather than follow. They are also individualists.
Self-confident. They understand the challenges of starting a business but are decisive and have faith in their abilities to resolve problems. Entrepreneurs trust their hunches and act on them.
Risk taking. Though they are not averse to risk, most successful entrepreneurs prefer situations with a moderate degree of risk, where they have a chance to control the outcome, to highly risky ventures that depend on luck.
Visionary. Entrepreneurs believe they can create the future. Their ability to spot trends and act on them set entrepreneurs apart from small business owners and managers.
Creative. To compete with larger firms, entrepreneurs need to have creative product designs, marketing strategies, and solutions to managerial problems.
Energetic. Starting a business takes long hours. Some entrepreneurs start companies while still employed full-time.
Passionate. Entrepreneurs love their work. If you are not passionate about your work, you can't be an entrepreneur. It takes too many compromises and too much effort.
Committed. They make personal sacrifices to achieve their goals. Because they are so committed to their companies, entrepreneurs are persistent in seeking solutions to problems.




		BUSINESS AMERICA is a Professional Business Service Center that specializes in selling profitable Businesses and Franchises -- Confidentially. The Company has been operating in Pittsburgh since 1984 and enjoys a highly successful market penetration of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market. There are three operating divisions with specialists handling each division.

	1. Selling of Established Businesses (all types).

	We are needed by the Business Selling public because Business Sellers want their Business handled professionally and sold confidentially. They want only financially qualified buyers being shown by the Business. As a critical service to sellers, we prepare the Business for sale by doing a Business Appraisal and packaging the presentation by laser printing the appraisal and combining it with a general fact sheet. We are effective for the Business Buying public because we represent the cream of the Businesses for sale in the Pittsburgh area. We help the Buyer fully investigate the Business before taking ownership.

	2. FRANCHISE Start-ups -- Referral of Franchise Business Opportunities (we have an inventory of over 65 opportunities and new ones are made available to us almost every month).

	We are a clearinghouse for over 65 start-up Franchise Business Opportunities, we make sure that anyone we represent is established and reputable. Not to be satisfied with that, we will work with prospective purchasers to thoroughly check out any opportunity that they may have an interest in. We do not “sell” these opportunities, but simply introduce them to interested parties and “refer” the party to the opportunity. We encourage a visit to the company headquarters prior to making the final decision.

	3. REALTY AMERICA -- A Real Estate Broker division to accommodate Business Owners/Sellers who also own the Real Estate.