Pressed to describe the stereotypical entrepreneur, which words would you use? Passionate? Dedicated? Optimistic? Sure, those all apply. But insecure and troublemaker are more accurate, according to entrepreneurs who know a success when they see one. Do the following traits, characteristics and quirks describe you? Well then, you might be an entrepreneur (at heart, if not yet in practice).

1. You Take Action.

Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group, co-star of TV's Shark Tank and author of Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business, says people who have a concept but not necessarily a detailed strategy are more likely to have that entrepreneurial je ne sais quoi. "I hate entrepreneurs with beautiful business plans," she says.

Corcoran's recommendation? "Invent as [you] go," rather than spending time writing a plan at your desk. In fact, she believes that people with life experience have an active problem-solving ability and think-on-your-feet resourcefulness that can be more valuable than book smarts alone. Those who study business may be prone to overanalyzing situations rather than taking action.

2. You Are Insecure.

"Many entrepreneurs judged as ambitious are really insecure underneath," Corcoran says. When evaluating potential investments, she adds, "I want someone who is scared to death." Those who are nervous about failing can become hyper-focused and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. If you feel insecure, use that emotion to drive you to achieve your business goals.

3. You Are Crafty.

"One of my favorite TV shows growing up was MacGyver," confides Tony Hsieh, CEO of Las Vegas-based Zappos, "because he never had exactly the resources he needed but would somehow figure out how to make everything work out." A lifelong entrepreneur, Hsieh has done everything from starting a worm farm to making buttons and selling pizzas, so he admires MacGyver's "combination of creativity, optimism and street smarts. Ultimately, I think that's what being an entrepreneur is all about--playing MacGyver, but for business." It's not about having enough resources, he explains, but being resourceful with what you do have."

4. You're Obsessed with Cash Flow.

Before founding Brainshark, a Waltham, Mass.-based developer of technology for business presentations, Joe Gustafson bootstrapped a venture called Relational Courseware. "All I ever thought about was cash flow and liquidity," he says, admitting, "there were seven times in [the company's] eight-year history when I was days or hours away from payroll and didn't have enough cash to make it."

How did he respond? "In the early days, you could step up and put expenses on your personal credit card, but that can only go so far," he says. "You need cash--even if you have the best company and the best receivables in the world--to fight the battle one more day." Other strategies he recommends include working with a partner who can provide cash advances on projects and maintaining close communication with suppliers.

5. You Get Into Hot Water.

Stephane Bourque, founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Incognito Software, says true entrepreneurial types are more likely to ask for forgiveness than permission, forging ahead to address the opportunities or issues they recognize, even without approval from higher-ups.

"Entrepreneurs are never satisfied with the status quo," says Bourque, who discovered he was not destined for the corporate world when he kept coming up with new and better ways of doing things--ideas that were not necessarily appreciated by his bosses and often were interpreted as unwanted criticism. Now, he says, "I wish my employees would get into more trouble," because it shows they are on the lookout for opportunities to improve themselves or company operations.

6. You Are Fearless.

Where most avoid risk, entrepreneurs see potential, says Robert Irvine, chef and host of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible. True 'treps are not afraid to leverage their houses and run up their credit card balances in order to amass the funds they need to create a new venture. In some ways, he says, they are the ultimate optimists, because they operate under the belief that their investments of time and money will eventually pay off.

7. You Can't Sit Still.

Entrepreneurs have unbridled energy that fuels them long past the time when their employees have gone home. They are eager, excited and energized about business in a way that makes them stand out. Irvine would know: He owns a restaurant in South Carolina, is opening another in the Pentagon and has a line of food and clothing products, on top of hosting his TV show.

8. You Are Motivated by Challenges.

When confronted by problems, many employees try to pass the buck or otherwise wash their hands of the situation. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, rise to the occasion. "Challenges motivate them to work harder," says Jeff Platt, CEO of the Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park franchise. "An entrepreneur doesn't think anything is insurmountable ... He looks adversity in the eye and keeps going."

Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, agrees. Despite naysayers who questioned her idea for a bakery in the midst of the carb-fearing early-2000s, she persevered and now has locations in eight states. In fact, she was one of the first entrepreneurs in a business that became an ongoing craze, sparking numerous copycats.

9. You Surround Yourself with Advisors.

Actress Jessica Alba, co-founder and president of Santa Monica, Calif.-based The Honest Company, which sells baby, home and personal-care products, notes that "it's important to surround yourself with people smarter than you and to listen to ideas that aren't yours. I'm open to ideas that aren't mine and people that know what I don't, because I think success takes communication, collaboration and, sometimes, failure."

10. You Work Hard and Play Hard.

"Entrepreneurs fall down and pick themselves up until they get it right," says Micha Kaufman, who snowboards and sails in addition to running Fiverr, the fast-growth online freelance marketplace he co-founded.

Like in sports, the key to success in business is staying super-focused, the CEO notes. During Fiverr's launch, instead of trying to deal with "an endless number of potential challenges," Kaufman and his team focused on "the single biggest challenge every marketplace has: building liquidity.

Without liquidity, there is no marketplace. It's like worrying about the skills needed for frontside-360 jumps before getting on a snowboard and learning the basics."

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Whenever a SCORE client seeking assistance in the food service and restaurant businesses is matched with Fox Valley Chairman Bill Hess of Bolingbrook, that lucky individual is bound to benefit greatly from Bill's 45 years of varied experience in the restaurant industry.

Born and raised in Gary, IN, Bill grew up within walking distance of Lake Michigan. The youngest of 3 children, Bill's father was an accountant for EI DuPont, and his mother a homemaker and occasional lunchroom matron at Bill's grammar school. Bill went on to Gary's Wirt High School (1966) where he excelled in football and as a shot-putter, then on to Valparaiso University (1970), where he continued his football career while studying English and History. Looking ahead to life after graduation, Bill also studied at the Career School of Broadcasting during this period, but his hopes of entering that field were thwarted when the FCC placed a 4 year freeze on new radio station licenses in the late 1960's. In need of a job, Bill applied for a nighttime custodial position at a Burger King in northwest Indiana, but was instead hired in as a management trainee, and off he went. During his 7 years with the Burger King franchisee in Lake and Porter Counties, Bill met his co-associate and future wife Glenna, whom he started dating only after her transfer to another store due to the company's strict policy against fraternization. Following his stint with Burger King, Bill enjoyed management posts with a variety of leading companies in that sector of the industry, including Denny's, Boston Market, Little Caesar's, Cracker Barrel, McDonalds and Taco Bell. During that time, Bill had the unusual experience of graduating from the two leading fast food management schools - McDonald's Hamburger University and Burger King's Whopper College. Amid these corporate posts, Bill purchased a Burger Country location on Cleveland's East Side, which he owned and operated from 1979 - 1983. Bill's purchase agreement with the Arctic Circle Restaurant Group included a unique arrangement where Arctic Circle provided Bill all of his payroll services and prepared all federal and state tax reporting in exchange for a stake of 1/10 of 1% of sales. Unfortunately the economy in greater Cleveland suffered greatly in the early 1980's, and Bill was forced to sell Burger Country. Joining the Wendy's organization shortly thereafter, Bill held several management posts that allowed him to migrate back to the Chicago area, and he and his family ultimately settled in Bolingbrook, IL in 1986, where they remain today.

After 45 years in the restaurant industry, Bill retired in 2008, but he didn't sit still for long. He has served as an election judge in Will County, a tax consultant for H&R Block during tax season, and also teaches elementary school students the fine points and strategies of competitive chess. Bill and Glenna had 4 children spaced 4-5 years apart, and are fortunate to have 3 of their 5 grandchildren living close by, while the others reside in Tampa, FL. Glenna Hess has risen to the top of her field as National Inventory Manager at Sears Holdings in Hoffman Estates, while Bill, who joined SCORE in 2009, serves as the Chairman of Fox Valley chapter, mentoring out of the Naperville, Plainfield and Joliet offices. As a charter member of The National Historical Society, Bill remains active with those intellectual pursuits, is an avid Bears fan, and enjoys playing challenging board games in his spare time. Mentoring remains a stimulating SCORE activity and Bill considers his SCORE colleagues a "great bunch of people, whose dedication and pedigree get better all the time".

Bill Hess can be reached at (630)226-9809 or theduke1025@gmail.com 

  

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