Lecture 8 Characteristics and Competencies of Entrepreneurs PDF

Small Business Entrepreneurs Characteristics and Competencies Chapter 03 McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2011 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Learning Objectives LO1 Lea...

Small Business Entrepreneurs Characteristics and Competencies Chapter 03 McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2011 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Learning Objectives LO1 Learn about entrepreneurial personality types LO2 Learn the operational competencies of the successful entrepreneur LO3 Discover the types of career paths entrepreneurs pursue LO4 Understand the challenges of family business owners 3-2  Learning Objectives (cont.) LO5 Recognize the special nature of entrepreneurial teams LO6 Gain insight into the challenges women and minority business owners face LO7 Understand the situation of people who become business owners later in life 3-3 The Entrepreneurial Personality Classic profile – Loner, socially isolated – Hard worker – Fast learner – Risk-taker seeking wealth 3-4 The Entrepreneurial Personality Idea person Small business owner Contemporary classic entrepreneur Salesperson entrepreneur Managerial entrepreneur 3-5 3-6  Entrepreneurial Operational Competencies Competencies – forms of business-related expertise Basic business competency – understanding the organizational and business processes of a firm 3-7  Entrepreneurial Operational Competencies Key business functions – activities common to all businesses – sales, operations, accounting, finance, and human resources Industry-specific knowledge – activities, skills, and knowledge, specific to businesses in an industry 3-8  Entrepreneurial Operational Competencies Resource competencies – the ability or skill of the entrepreneur at finding expendable components necessary to the operation of the business – Time, information, location, financing, raw materials, expertise 3-9  Entrepreneurial Operational Competencies Determination competencies – skill identified with the energy and focus needed to bring a business into existence Opportunity competencies – skills necessary to identify and exploit elements of the business environment that can lead to a profitable and sustainable business 3-10  Professionalization Professionalization – the extent to which a firm meets or exceeds the standard business practices for its industry – Expert, specialized, minimalized Standard business practice – a business action that has been widely adopted within an industry or occupation 3-11  Professionalization Expert businesses – those which you notice everything seems to be done in the best way possible – firm has exceeded the standard business practices of the industry 3-12  Professionalization Specialized – founders or owners are passionate about one or two of the key business functions, – Satisfied if other activities are no worse than other firms in the market 3-13  Professionalization Minimalized – Entrepreneur figures that “good enough” is all that is necessary to keep the business going – No systematic accounting – Little recordkeeping 3-14  Family Businesses Family business – a firm in which one family owns a majority stake and is involved in the daily management of the business 1/3 of the Standard & Poor’s 500 are family owned and managed 3-15  Question What percentage of U.S. businesses are small family businesses? A. 4% B. 25% C. 71% D. 39% 3-16  Family Businesses Family businesses make up over 1/2 of the businesses in the United States. 39% of businesses in the United States are small family businesses. They employ 58% of America’s workforce. 3-17  Family Business Challenges Role conflict – the kind of problem that arises when people have multiple responsibilities, such as parent and boss, and the different responsibilities make different demands on them – Whenever possible, make decisions based on business necessities. 3-18  Family Business Challenges Time management – organizing process to help make the most efficient use of the day – List, 123 Prioritize, Delegate, Repeat, Strategize 3-19 Second Career Entrepreneurs Late career entrepreneurs – people who begin their businesses after having retired or resigned from work in corporations at age 50 or older 3-20 Second Career Entrepreneurs Get advice Take control over life Networking Keep personal finances out of the business 3-21