In the life of an entrepreneur there are countless important characteristics that can contribute to success. Some of which we learned in class are that of empathy, buoyancy, analysis, and even ambivertion! Those are fantastically necessary and helpful traits for an entrepreneur and salesperson, but there is one trait which surely couldn’t hurt as well… this trait is grit.
So what is grit? Grit is defined as “the combination of perseverance and passion for especially long-term and meaningful goals”. Grit is a specific way of thinking and acting. Sometimes it may be difficult to be gritty for some content we may be commissioned towards in sales, but when you’re an entrepreneur pitching your product to investors, grit is absolutely necessary. In my opinion, the level of grit an individual has differentiates his product/service/business from the rest. Since creating a successful venture can be very difficult, you will rarely see any accomplished entrepreneur without this trait.
Grit is different from any talent or IQ because it requires time and extraordinary passion. Sure, some people can get lucky and not have to put in too much of either time or passion. But for the most, you simply won’t succeed as an entrepreneur without time or passion. Grit, of course, may not be activated until a certain product/service/business really means something to the aspiring entrepreneur. So.. before you decide to go full force at a venture, first ask yourself: is this something I can become gritty about?
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