This doesn’t mean you should burn yourself out. Don’t work yourself to the bone, or so hard that you damage your health or neglect your relationships. But you’ve got to be willing to put in the hours upfront to find clients, make sales, and figure out how to generate income in your business bank account.

1. Curiosity

Running a small business is a nonstop 365-days-per-year learning experience. You’re going to have to wear lots of hats and learn lots of roles and skills — from sales and marketing to bookkeeping and accounting. The best entrepreneurs have insatiable curiosity — they are lifelong learners who love to ask questions, and they’re not afraid to make mistakes or admit when they were wrong.

Being self-employed can be a great way to keep your mind active and stay fully engaged with life. Curiosity helps you stay nimble and adaptable and bounce back from setbacks. Entrepreneurs are always trying to create forward momentum, asking, “What’s next? How can we improve? How can we create, build, and grow?”

1. Rigor

Entrepreneurs need to be able to make tough choices. Running a small business requires a disciplined thought process and a rigorous mindset. You will encounter situations where you have to give someone bad news — terminating an employee, ending a longtime vendor relationship, or cutting ties with a business partner.

Along with personal interactions, small business owners have to be rigorous in the way they evaluate their company. You might have to tackle tough questions, like:

Which product lines deserve more investment, and which should be cut?

Which store locations are thriving, and which ones aren’t delivering on their potential?

Which new target markets should you explore?

Which small business marketing tactics are delivering return on investment (ROI), and which ones should you give up?

How can you strike the right balance between trying new things and being creative, and being appropriately conservative and focused on what your company does best?

There are no easy answers to most of these questions, and the stakes can be high. But with a calm, disciplined approach, small business owners can chart a path forward for their companies.

Bottom line

It’s true that you might need thousands of dollars to start a business. But the most important things you need to start a business are harder to find than money: certain mindsets, skill sets, value systems, and personality traits.

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, and that’s fine. But many people who want to start a business can learn the skills and train themselves in the right mindsets. The best entrepreneurs are open to creative possibilities while bringing solid business discipline — does that sound like the sort of person you’d like to be?

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