Are You Born An Entrepreneur? Part 2

Jim Greenwood started two retail chains and developed them successfully before selling them and retiring. He was born into an entreprenurial family and has always worked for himself. He reflects here on what influenced him to own his own business. He is now writing a book “The Truth of Small Steps” and you can read his blogs at http://tossly.com

“For me (as I remember) …

I came from an entrepreneurial family.  Both my mother and my father owned their own businesses and I can remember my father saying “own you own business-don’t have partners”  so from a family perspective I was directed to do my own thing.  I worked for dad for a few years doing windows and buying and liked the interaction with people.  It was fun to give and get support and it certainly prepared me to see and capture the retail opportunities I saw at the time (in an area of business I loved).

At USC I was on a track (like a lot of us) to be a lawyer.  I can remember at some point saying that I would rather solve my own problems than be paid to solve someone else’s.  Another step toward my own businesses.

Taking risks was a part of it .  I was worried about failing but not afraid to fail (does that make sense?)

As my first business began I liked being boss.  I liked doing new things and being responsible for the outcome.  I liked the financial returns that were mine to create and not dependent on someone else’s structure or judgment.  I liked (as my parents had told me) to opportunity to follow my own drummer and the opportunity to have other work with me in the attempts.  It was fun and anything I could envision I could do, if I could just do it.   I thought the security of a check was like handcuffs.

As it turned out later in my entrepreneurial growth I also had very satisfying experiences with partners.  The warning from my father proved be something I could deal with, perhaps because I knew what I was looking for (honest, smart and hardworking partners) and an ability to create and follow a plan.

The mind and brain are always active; sometimes friends, sometimes foes. My monkey brain, lizard brain, chicken brain were always there (and still are), but my character was shaped by dealing with them and some how getting past them one step at a time (and a lot of luck).

I’m not sure if this answers your questions about whether I was born to it or whether it was environment,  but there it is.”