NEXT ARTICLE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
How to Know If You Have the
Entrepreneur Gene (If it Even
Exists)
Is entrepreneurship caused by nature or nurture? Not that it makes much difference once
the bug bites.
488
shares
    Add to Queue
   NEXT ARTICLE488
shares
    Add to Queue

Eyal Lifshitz
GUEST WRITER
Founder and CEO of BlueVine
    
June 30 5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Scientists have been studying the potential role genes plays in a person’s aptitude for
entrepreneurship. I’d certainly be interested in their conclusions given my own
background and career.
Both my father and grandfather owned small businesses, which makes me a third-
generation entrepreneur. Does that mean I have the entrepreneur gene? I didn’t really
Image credit: Tom Werner | Getty Images

think so -- until recently.
Until about six years ago, I had absolutely no intention of following in the footsteps of
my father and grandfather. The risky life of the entrepreneur did not appeal to me. I
liked everything to be predictable and safe. I earned my MBA from the prestigious
University of Chicago Booth School of Business and joined established, brand-name
companies -- Texas Instruments, McKinsey & Company, Greylock IL.
I never made risky career moves.
By my mid-thirties, I was on a comfortable career track as an investor for a top VC rm
making judgments about entrepreneurs and deciding which startup deserved to get
Weebly
4 Myths and 4 Truths About Starting to
Sell Online (Infographic)
By Weebly
Weebly
10 Must-Haves for Creating an
Ecommerce Powerhouse (Infographic)
By Weebly

Latest Articles
funding. But something gradually changed. I felt myself increasingly drawn to the
challenge of launching and building my own company. The death of my grandmother
convinced me that life is short. I recognized the time had come to take bigger risks.
Did I make that decision because I have a genetic predisposition to entrepreneurship?
I don’t know, but ve years into my new life as a startup founder I have a clearer sense
of the traits required to be an entrepreneur.
Related: Passion Is What Unlocks Your Hustler's Work Ethic
A whole lotta passion and grit.
For an entrepreneur, starting and building a business is an obsession, not just a job. It
consumes you. That’s how it’s been for me.
I was passionate about my previous jobs, of course. But it’s different when you’re
building something from scratch -- when it’s your “baby.” I’ve had to constantly
visualize a different reality. That’s another important trait of an entrepreneur: being a
dreamer.
Another is grit. Things will go wrong even if you have the most carefully-crafted plans.
Things were the hardest in the beginning. Investors told us no. Engineers and
executives declined to join us. Potential partners were uninterested in speaking with
us. Today isn't easy, just different types of challenges. Everyday is a new day in the
trenches. What keeps us entrepreneurs going is passion for what we love.
You often hear about bankers and investors on Wall Street who
make a ton of money but who hate their job. You de nitely

would not survive as an entrepreneur with that attitude. You
have to wake up every morning prepared for the next setback…
or the next success.
Related: It's Never Too Late to Pursue Your Passion
2. A little bit crazy.
There’s really something inherently irrational about quitting a
solid job to start a company. The odds are stacked up against
you. Many businesses go under, most entrepreneurs fail.
You’re confronted by these facts when you launch your career
as an entrepreneur.
You’ve got to be a bit crazy to want to become an
entrepreneur. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night
thinking obsessively about an issue involving my company.
Some nights I can’t sleep.
The potential to hit it big nancially is one incentive for starting a company, but it is
not always what moves one to become an entrepreneur. It certainly wasn’t what led
me to start a business. I took a signi cant pay cut when I gave up my career as a VC
investor to start my own company. For me and many entrepreneurs I know, launching
a business is more than just about the monetary upside. It’s about making an impact,
leaving a mark, doing something bold -- no matter how crazy it might seem.
Related: 25 Quotes About Making Money and Keeping Perspective
"The Cannabis Industry Will Be Bigger
than the NFL"
What Small Retailers Can Learn From
the Industry's Push Towards AI and Big
Data
The Hartford
5 Things the Most Successful
Entrepreneurs Do Before Breakfast
By The Hartford
Bong & Breakfast? Prince Edward
Island to Allow Cannabis Use in Hotels
How to Apply and Optimize Your
Algorithm When You're Ready to Run
With AI

4 Myths and 4 Truths4 Myths and 4 Truths
About Starting to SellAbout Starting to Sell
Online (Infographic)Online (Infographic)
by Weebly
3. Laser focus on the future … and the next day.
How I viewed and approached the future changed when I became an entrepreneur.
Like many overachievers, I used to meticulously plan the next years in my career. I
knew where I wanted to be professionally in two, ve and even 10 years. But when I
started building a company, the medium-term plans somehow became less important.
Now I am mainly thinking about our long-term goals and focusing on the very next
day. I wrestle with the same day-to-day concerns as many small business owners: Do
we have enough funds to cover operations for the next quarter? Are we spending too
much or too little on marketing? Do we have enough staff to keep up with growth?
The middle sort of goes away.
In the past, you probably thought about becoming a manager
next year or reaching some milestone in the next two years.
As an entrepreneur your thinking becomes "I’m building this
massive thing, but let me get through tomorrow."
Related: Multimillionaires Share 7 Steps to Structure
Your Day for Success
4. Best and worst job in the world.
I was asked recently if I ever had doubts or regrets about becoming an entrepreneur.
My answer: Yes, of course. They come at least once a month. It’s like a rollercoaster
ride. The highs thrill you in ways you’ve never experienced. The lows make you want
to crawl under the sheets and cry.

As I always tell friends and colleagues: This is the job I’ve loved the most, and it’s the
job I’ve hated the most. But I would do it all over again.
Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch: Now Casting For Season 3
We welcome founders who have scaleable products or services that are ready for investment, and who
have a speci c plan for how that investment can help them grow. Apply Now

Sponsored Business Content
3 in 4 Americans Are Ignoring This
Ticking Time Bomb
The Motley Fool
Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® Bonus
Miles After $3,000 in Purchases
Citi
Find out how you could earn more
Social Security income
From Merrill Lynch
Now is the time to become a pot
stock millionaire
Money Map Press
Here are the top 6 dividend stocks
you can buy and hold forever.
Wealthy Retirement
5 stocks you MUST own before
more states legalize medical
marijuana...
Banyan Hill
Popular In the Community

Sponsored
OrangeElephant
16 Feb
What is the date of
this article?
GreenBowtie
13 Apr
Can I call someone a
shitloaf?
All goo
but no
HERE ARE THE BEST
MONTHS DAYS AND
25 BAD WORDS THAT
MAKE OTHER PEOPLE
50 WOR
JOBS PA
Conversation
Be the rst to comment...
Terms · Privacy Add Spot.IM to your si
C O M PA N Y
Advertise
Brand Licensing
Contact Us
Staff
Contribute
P R O D U C T S
Women Entrepreneur
Green Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Insurance
Franchise
Network
E D I T I O N S
United States
Europe
Middle East
India
Asia Paci c
G E T T H E M A G A Z I N E

Reprints & Licensing Podcasts
Connect
Books
Shop
Español
Philippines
South Africa
China
Subscribe
J O I N O U R N E W S L E T T E R
     
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Site Map
Copyright © 2018 Entrepreneur Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Email... 