1. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY
JAY-Z
“I’M NOT A BUSINESSMAN, I’M A BUSINESS..
MAN.”
By Clem Keane, Ellen Doyle and Cillian Flynn

2. HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=NXFQRM53TK

3. CONTENT
•
Introduction
•
Definition of an Entrepreneur
•
Traits of an Entrepreneur
•
Quote
•
Conclusion
•
References

4. INTRODUCTION
Our topic for our student led seminar is on the personality of Jay-Z. JayZ is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. He has won
numerous accolades including over ten Grammy Awards and has a net
worth of over 460 million.
We will go through the different personality traits and outline how Jay-Z
built his throne.

5. ENTREPRENEUR
An entrepreneur is someone who
exercises initiative by organizing a
venture to take benefit of an
opportunity and, as the decision maker,
decides what, how, and how much of a
good or service will be produced.

6. TRAITS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR
• Passion
• Vision
• Risk-taking
• Persistence and hard work
• Leadership

7. PASSION
• A powerful drive to create success, wealth, legacy or fame is the
primary motivator for most entrepreneurs. They are intensely
passionate about what they do, almost to the point of fanaticism. Their
goals are set high and when attained, are reset even higher. Money is
not usually sought for its own sake, but as way of keeping score.
• Jay-Z has an extreme passion for the music that he makes.
• He always strives to make his newest album better than his last

8. VISION
• Most people wait for the right opportunity to present
itself. The true entrepreneur is always on the lookout for
yet another new opportunity. It is often just a matter of
perspective.
• Jay-Z has an extraordinary eye for successful business
ideas.

9. • Ron Howard a 59-year-old award-winning director, followed the rapper
while he organised the “Budweiser Made In America music festival”, for
his first-ever documentary film as a director.
• Ron confessed: "I certainly really respected Jay Z. He was so busy
because he was covering this festival that he really did run. So I had
some interviews with him and I was surprised by the depth and the
vision, the big vision, not just for the moment, but for the future."

10. PERSISTENCE AND HARD WORK
•
This is a big attribute. The obstacles that cause many people to quit are minor
setbacks for the true entrepreneur. Winners persist. Losers desist. It is often that
simple personality difference that separates the happy successful person from the
frustrated failure.
•
Jay-Z along the years has had many different business ventures. He and Damon Dash
started a clothing line called Rocawear in 1999. The clothing line sales socks and
sandals, leather, suede, and fur outerwear, handbags and belts, lounge wear, big and
tall, headwear, jewelry, and sunglasses.
•
Rocawear has had annual sales of $700 million. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to
the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million. However he retains his
stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing, and product
development.

11. HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=1FRJ460V30

12. LEADERSHIP
•
There are a lot of leaders that have
been able to lead their groups
towards great accomplishments
yet these milestones would not be
achieved without the help of every
member of the team. Looking back
to the past generations, forms of
leadership have been changing
•
Like a piece of clay, Jay-Z was
molded from experiences in his
past to what he is today.

13. RISK-TAKING
•
The entrepreneur has a high tolerance for risk. The average person is afraid of doing
something in case of failure. A true entrepreneur knows that failing to attempt
something is a greater failure than trying and not succeeding. In fact, they often don’t
even realize that they are taking a risk. What others may judge as a risky situation,
entrepreneurs see as an opportunity for a higher reward.
•
Jay-Z’s label Rocnation took the risk to invest in different types of business
opportunities, he manages major athletes such as Victor Cruz (American football),
Robinson Cano (Baseball), Skylar Diggins (Basketball)

14. •
In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation.
•
The label is a 50/50 partnership between Stargate and Jay-Z's Roc Nation entertainment
company, which he signed in the same year to Live Nation.
•
In early April 2013, Roc Nation formed a new sports management division, Roc Nation Sports.
The new company will act as an intermediary between high-profile athletes and the sporting
teams and companies seeking to capitalize on their abilities, just as any traditional sports
management agency would.
•
It was also announced that week that Jay-Z signed a multi-year deal with Universal Music Group
to distribute all future Roc Nation albums.
•
Manages Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Rita Orta, Willow Smith, J.Cole, Timbaland, MIA

15. “I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to
learn every day, to get brighter and brighter.
That's what this world is about. You look at
someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin
Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think
that's from being bright all the time, and trying to
be brighter.”- Jay-Z

16. “I was forced to be an artist and a CEO
from the beginning, so I was forced to be
like a businessman because when I was
trying to get a record deal, it was so hard
to get a record deal on my own that it was
either give up or create my own
company.”- Jay-Z

18. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we think that Jay-Z possesses many of the five personality traits
that we have discussed.
He used these personality traits to set up his many successful business
ventures. He is an Entrepreneur, Artist and Producer.

19. REFERENCES
•
http://www.independent.ie
•
http://rocnation.com
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfqRM-53Tk
•
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
•
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jayz.html
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-FRj460V30