Yesterday I gave a presentation about my book “10 Quintessential Questions” and I also had the pleasure to interview Hans Crijns about his book " Love letters to entrepreneurs”. We talked about what makes a “true entrepreneur.” Some people believe it’s a matter of personality—a certain charisma, a risk-taking nature, or a knack for spotting opportunities.
But in my experience, entrepreneurship is less about innate character and more about commitment. I genuinely believe that anyone can be an entrepreneur if they bring enough grit, focus, and passion to the table.
Grit is the backbone of entrepreneurship. It’s what keeps you going when things get tough, and let’s face it—things will get tough. Grit is about resilience, about bouncing back from setbacks and learning from every experience. Being an entrepreneur isn’t about avoiding failure; it’s about not letting failure stop you.
Focus is equally essential. With so many potential distractions and endless decisions to make, staying on track is a skill in itself. Focus means having a clear vision of your goals and a plan to reach them, as well as the discipline to stay committed even when the excitement wears off. It means asking yourself the right questions, not answering questions that the outside world would love you to answer. Only focus on what is important to you and the future you want to shape as an entrepreneur. This seems easy and obvious but I faced it more than once starting working on something with loads of passion but before I really asked myself is this what my focus is.
And then there’s passion—the energy that fuels it all. Passion is the spark that gets you excited about your work, the thing that makes all the hours, the sacrifices, and the problem-solving worth it. While grit and focus keep you moving, passion is what reminds you why you started in the first place. It’s the foundation of every successful business, and it’s something anyone can cultivate if they’re truly aligned with their purpose.
To me, entrepreneurship isn’t exclusive to a certain “type” of person. It’s for anyone willing to bring their whole self into the journey, to commit to the ups and downs, and to stay inspired no matter what.
With enough grit, focus, and passion, anyone can carve out their path as an entrepreneur, proving that success in business is about more than personality—it’s about perseverance.
