Qualities of an Entrepreneur - Bounce-Back-Ability

Amongst the various qualities required to succeed as an entrepreneur, persistence in the face of setbacks and disappointments has to be one of the most important. This interview with Rachel Lowe in the Guardian provides students with an excellent example of the role persistence plays. Rachel was one of the first-ever contestants on Dragons Den and although Rachel failed to gain investment (in fact, she took a mauling from the original dragons) her idea for a board game proved popular with the viewing public and went on to become a huge success. However, a poor business decision at the wrong time resulted in her business failing and Rachel being declared bankrupt. Rachel's response? She picked herself up, handled the significant personal disruption and had the courage and tenacity to try again. That, my friends, is known as persistence. They say that starting and building a successful business is 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration. Hard work, in the face of adversity, is what it is about.