Entrepreneur = [ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noo r] A person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Author = [aw-ther] A person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or copyist.
You can take the quiz here or you can print it out here: Quiz Printable PDF
How do you define an entrepreneur?
According to Thesaurus.com alternative words are;
Adventurer, businessperson, charlatan, daredevil, fortune-hunter, gambler, executive, founder, impresario, industrialist, manager, organiser…
Are you any of those things?
Are you an author with a business in you bursting to get out?
What makes someone entrepreneurial? (Tweet this)
Here are 10 attributes of an entrepreneur:
- Creativity
- Attitude to risk
- Financial Acumen
- Business Awareness
- Management skills
- Organised
- Disciplined
- Adaptability
- Positivity
- Energy and determination
Have a go at the quiz to find out how entrepreneurial you are, be honest, there are no right or wrong answers:
1. Creativity:
Do you come up with new ideas:
a) Rarely
b) Often
c) All the time
2. Attitude to Risk:
Would you give up a stable job to spend time on a new idea?
a) Not unless I was sure
b) I don’t care about money, so yes
c) If I was confident in it, yes
3. Financial Acumen:
Which statement is most like you – I am good with money:
a) No, my finances are really disorganised
b) Money is not important to me
c) Yes, I am organised and have a system in place
4. Business awareness:
I am interested in business and economics:
a) I don’t know much about it
b) Sometimes
c) Yes, I like to be well informed
5. Management skills:
When I manage myself:
a) I tend to procrastinate
b) I try to do it all myself
c) I’m not afraid to ask for help
6. Organised:
Which statement is most like you:
a) I’m always so busy I find it hard to get organised
b) I enjoy finding new ways to be more organised and efficient
c) I am methodical and systematic and like to set boundaries
7. Disciplined:
Which statement is most like you:
a) I’m great at starting projects but rubbish at completing them
b) I leave everything to the last minute
c) I like to see something through to completion
8. Adaptability:
Which statement is most like you:
a) I’m not sure what I’m good at and I’m scared of failing if I try something new
b) I’m not really sure what I’m good at but I’m happy to have a go
c) I know what I’m good at and I’m not afraid to ask for help
9. Positivity:
Most of the time I tend to be:
a) Cautiously pessimistic
b) Optimistic
c) Cautiously optimistic
10. Energy and determination:
Most of the time I tend to:
a) View change with suspicion
b) Change my mind
c) See change as an opportunity
Now count the A’s, B’s and C’s and add them up:
A = 1
B = 2
C = 3 
If you scored between 10 – 16
You’re a Scribbler
You love to write and have probably had some good feedback from friends and family. You are considering putting your work out there, perhaps through self publishing or by starting a blog, or you may have tried this but have not had much response.You are on social media because you think you should be but don’t really get it.Writing is currently a hobby but you are starting to ask yourself if you can make a career from it.
Actions:
- Are there any writers groups in your area? Go to some meetings and get some feedback, tips and critiques from other writers to help improve your craft and boost your confidence.
- Are there any literary festivals or events you could visit? Go and mingle and meet some like minded people. This is a great way to grow your network and improve your craft.
- Go on writing courses to improve your skills
- Check local listings for any Social Media talks or workshops and learn more from people who do it well. www.Eventbrite.co.uk is a good place to start. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore different social media platforms, but focus on getting good at 1 or 2 to start with (Facebook and Twitter are the most obvious)
If you scored between 17 – 23
You’re a Dabbler
You love to write and have already published some work which is starting to sell. You’re pretty good on social media but still learning and experimenting with different platforms.You’re doing lots of research, reading lots of tips and advice blogs to ground yourself better in the world of writing.
Actions:
- Time to start behaving in a a more business like way. Look for any local business start up support and get involved. Build a business and marketing plan for your author business. Or get in touch with me, I may be able to recommend something: amy@tomcatdesigns.co.uk
- Look for opportunities to network in the small business community by going to business events and making connections.
- Get more organised with your social media. Have a plan and a regular presence by making use of tools to monitor your platforms and schedule regular content, ie: Hootesuite
- Have the confidence to go to more prestigious literary events and mingle with experienced writers. You’ve published, you’ve sold your work, be proud of that, you deserve to be there as much as they do, don’t be intimidated. Be bold, read some work and be at the forefront of events, or perhaps organise your own.
If you scored between 24 – 30
You’re a Wrangler
You love to write and have had consistent book sales for some time now. You’re thinking like an entrepreneur and taking your career as a writer seriously. People are starting to know who you are and you are embedded into your local literary community.You have a business plan for your book and marketing plans that you are implementing and updating regularly to keep the momentum up – They’re written down, working documents.You’re active on social media with a big crowd of followers and fans, great analytics and high Klout scores.You are always on the look out for new and innovative ways to build on your writer platform but there is always more to learn.
Actions:
- Keep writing. Build on what you have and keep your readers coming back for more.
- Stay active and engaging on Social Media.
- You have a lot of expertise you could share. Use it to share content on blogs, through guest posts, articles or do task and training sessions for aspiring writers and entrepreneurs.
- Keep that business plan up to scratch and stay focused. Make time for forward planning and marketing so the business is sustainable and build a budget into your plans to spend on marketing and promotion activities.
Tell us what you scored and what you plan to do next…