What truly makes up a great and successful entrepreneur? Dale Beaumont interviews Craig Lovett to find out what essential characters equate to success. If you want to find out if you have what it takes, read on!
Craig Lovett is the Executive Director and Founder of Cleanevent International, which today employs over 4,500 casual staff around the world.
What do you think are some of the essential characteristics of a successful entrepreneur?
I think what makes a successful entrepreneur is a combination of humility, an inner drive that wants nothing more than to succeed and the love of the hunt or the thrill of the kill when it comes to securing new business.
Having said that, it is also important to conduct a business with compassion. This is something that I am not renowned for, but that is only on the surface, deep down I am a softie. I love nothing more than to see people try as hard as they can (irrespective of the ultimate result), as long as they can say they have had a go. This is what I look for in people when I create a team.
This leads to basic people skills such as understanding and patience with those who work for you. Sometimes you might get frustrated because other people don’t necessarily think with the same depth or breadth, or at the pace that you do on a daily basis. But you must remember there is nothing wrong with that, that’s why they are working for you – you are the big picture person and they are the people that can help you bring your dreams into reality.
In my personal life, the quality of my handshake and my word is my integrity – no one can ever take these away from me and I protect them with my life. People feel they can trust me and because of that they trust in the business. I believe having integrity and honesty are probably the most important personal qualities of successful entrepreneurs.
Another personal attribute is knowing that you can do it, no matter what. I don’t have any tolerance for the belief that luck is an attribute of success – you have to be out there looking for opportunities, putting yourself in the places where things can happen. That is opportunity seeking. Winning lotto isn’t luck either, where did the ticket come from? Did you go and buy it? Then it was with purpose. Did someone give it to you? There must be a reason why!
For more of this and the Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs check out Secrets of Male Entrepreneurs Exposed!
