Over the past few years I have been in contact with more than a few successful entrepreneurs and even more that haven’t succeeded. I’ve witnessed a certain charisma that exudes from these unique individuals and have spent a fair amount of time trying to understand what makes them succeed. In turn, I have compiled a list of the top ten habits that have been prevalent throughout these individuals and that I have attempted to adopt.

1. Passion for Life - This is one of the most important characteristics of a successful entrepreneur. If you don’t have passion for life then good luck at succeeding. Passion for life will help you to exude a positive charisma that attracts investors, inspires your team, and helps you to get through the tough times.
2. A Smile on Their Face - Whether or not everything is going well, the most successful and most inspiring individuals make it a habit of smiling. This characteristic is one of basic human interaction.
3. A Dynamic Team - An entrepreneur requires the support of others for success. Napoleon Hill refers to this as the “Mastermind Group”. I highlighted this characteristic in my recent article “Death of the One Person Startup”.
4. A Willingness to Help Others - This is my own personal maxim. I’ve reached out and received help from successful entrepreneurs. Conversely, I’ve requested assistance from entrepreneurs not only turned down my request but acted as though I was a fool for asking. Once you have succeeded, remember that you didn’t get to where you are by yourself. Someone else helped you along the way and you own it to them to continue the tradition.
5. Habitual Goal Setting - Successful entrepreneurs know how to set reasonable goals, and revise their goals on a periodic basis. Some quick goal advice: set goals that you really want to accomplish, that don’t contradict other goals, and are set high. Also, don’t forget to write down your goals.
6. Ability to Remember Names - I learned this from Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Since learning it I have met countless successful individuals who have adopted the practice. One of the most sweet sounds in the world to a person in their name. Make an effort to remember it.
7. Empowered by Failure - When things aren’t going your way, are you going to quit? Successful entrepreneurs don’t. Rather than being knocked down by failure, successful entrepreneurs know that it is simply one of the many hurdles in their ongoing path to success and facing the challenge head on will only bring them closer to success.
8. Confidence - All successful entrepreneurs are confident. If you aren’t confident then there is little chance of success. 99 percent of people are going to tell you that you aren’t going to succeed, and a large portion of them don’t want you to succeed. The primary factor that will get you past all of that is self-confidence.
9. Proactive Attitude - Have you ever worked at a company where you made a suggestion to a higher level employee only to have them postpone any discussion of it? I know I have. The successful entrepreneur will offer the suggestion a few times, and then if nothing is done about it, they will begin working on it them self. It’s the person inside of you that says “Well if you aren’t going to help me get it done, I’m going to do it myself”. While this may not always be the best attitude, I believe that it is more often than not.
10. Determination and Motivation - These are critical characteristics. Entrepreneurs are like the train that never could. They just keep on chugging no matter what. Persistence in a unique personality trait in individuals, and it is one that all successful entrepreneurs share.

If you would like to be a successful entrepreneur then I highly recommend that you try to build as many of these characteristics as possible into your own personality. Good luck on your path to success!