Are You Entrepreneur Material?


Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to start and run a business?  If so, you might want to take this entrepreneurial quotient quiz,

The quiz is a fun way to see if you have common traits and characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

It is by Jon Gillespie-Brown, who also is the author of the associated blog and book titled So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur.  He has promised that book sale proceeds would benefit the Grameen Foundation, a micro-loan organization that helps entrepreneurs in poverty-stricken countries.

I have participated in the Grameen micro-loan program and am inspired by the magnitude of accomplishments one person can do with $800 or $900. “It takes a village” is never truer than what these women can do with a few hundred dollars to feed not only their own children but also others within their village. Grameen’s mission is to combine the power of microfinance, technology, and innovative solutions to defeat global poverty.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Jon and learn what had inspired him to create the quiz, write the book and also why he was giving the profits away.

Q: What inspired you to write the book in the first place?

Jon Gillespie-Brown:  I was approached to write the book after my experiences as a mentor for the London Business School. I was prepared to take a chunk of time out of my busy life because I believe it is important to give something back to “the universe” on a regular basis. All my mentoring is free and I have mentored over 100 people now and the book is simply an extension of this cycle of “what goes around comes around.”

Q:  Tell us why you chose to write about becoming an entrepreneur.

Jon Gillespie-Brown:  I wanted to write something that did not already exist today and also to provide a backbone for those I mentor, as many were considering being an entrepreneur but had no real process to decide how. I formalized seven years of mentoring into the book with forms and quizzes to help people through the process.

What I have found repeatedly is that people start a business or have an idea without considering their personal lives in the process. They would separate these two thought processes and never try and align them — it’s human nature to get excited about a new idea. However, if you don’t align your business with your personal life vision, somewhere down the line you will wish you had chosen an idea to serve you rather than the other way around.

Business is very tough, without the passion and the drive (due to the lack of planning) many people give up — hence the increased risk of failure!

Q:  What is the most important thing you hope readers will learn?

Jon Gillespie-Brown:  The most important thing they will learn is to align your personal life vision with that of your business so that your business delivers on your dreams and not the other way around!

Q:  Tell us about your interest in the Grameen Foundation.

Jon Gillespie-Brown:  My wife and I already support many charities and we wanted to support something deep and meaningful with an entrepreneurial spin — we looked at many opportunities but settled on the Grameen Foundation. We were very impressed with their track record and also the vast number of people they help.

Thanks, Jon for your time and for providing a book for those considering the entrepreneurial path.  Take the quiz to see if you have what it takes.

Image: Amazon

12 Comments ▼


12 Reactions
  1. This quiz is worth taking. I did think it accurately captured personality traits in the entrepreneurs I know. Wish it would have had more explanation of the answers, though.

  2. Making Money With A Biz Bum

    Good luck to Jon. Hope the book get the success it deserves. I have nothing but respect for the man for supporting many charities and choosing the Grameen Foundation as the beneficiary of the mentioned book.

  3. Awesome – 100% entrepreneur. Too bad VCs don’t give this quiz and fund you if you get a good result 🙂

  4. Quizzes like this are great to see if you have the right temperament to become an entrepreneur. The reality is that not everyone is cut out to be their own boss, and run their own company, it’s just not in their nature and not part of their personality or temperament. Knowing this prior to jumping into something can go a long way in becoming successful or keeping you out of a unsuccessful venture.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Matt

  5. Matt, you hit the nail on the head. When I was in franchising I would see people who were really good at their craft and they would decide to open a business. Sadly, they didn’t have the entrepreneurial gene and had difficulty managing all the other aspects of their business. Many of those eventually lost their business. Taking a quiz or class or reading Jon’s book to help understand the “big picture” of being an entrepreneur should be required before quitting the day job. 🙂

  6. I do think that books and quizzes like this are valuable ways to gauge whether you can handle the ups & downs of business ownership or not. Any kind of resource that can help prepare a potential business owner is a great asset to have. I also think Jon should be commended for giving the profits to charity. What a great way to give back. I only have one question – why is the word ‘want’ in the book cover title twice?

  7. This book is a wonderful addition. Artists are too becoming more Entrepreneurial and need these kinds of resources to understand entrepreneurship. As a serial artistic entrepreneur, educator and coach to artists for over 20 years, I am so pleased to see entrepreneurship books and materials becoming more readily available.

  8. Thanks for the book tip. I will take the quiz, but it was 50 questions so I have to wait until I have more time… 😉 Maybe I am getting a better score this time, compared with Scott Shane’s test! 😉

  9. I got 94% guess it is not telling me anything I didn’t already know about myself since I have worked for myself for 30 years!

  10. What impresses me most about Jon is not that he has written a great book about starting a business (and it is a great book). For me, the importance he places on giving back to “the universe” on a regular basis is inspirational. I appreciate how Jon models the way with his support of the Grameen Foundation, and I hope other entrepreneurs, business owners and self-employed professionals will incorporate Jon’s example into their own businesses.

  11. Jon Gillespie-Brown

    Thanks for the feedback about my book at http://www.tobeanentrepreneur.com/ a few people have asked for more details and explanantions around the quiz etc.

    That’s what the book does, the quiz is part of the process you go through in the book and the quiz is taken at the beginning and end to check how you are doing in the process…the books is only $13 and all the profits go to charity so why not buy a copy and you will learn all you need to know. Its easy to buy on Amazon here: http://www.tobeanentrepreneur.com/buy.html

  12. Hi Jon,

    Thanks for dropping by. I think readers were really getting into your quiz — this has been a popular page here in the site. I certainly enjoyed it. And hopefully some people will buy the book and support your initiative for giving to the Grameen Foundation.

    Anita