Assessing Your Assessing Your StrengthsStrengths

20132013

Welcome Welcome Introductions Introductions At your tables, introduce At your tables, introduce

yourself with:yourself with: Name and discipline;Name and discipline; Your entrepreneurial product Your entrepreneurial product

or service; or service; A A natural strength natural strength you haveyou have

that can help you be that can help you be successful.successful.

Entrepreneurial Entrepreneurial StrengthsStrengths

Strengths/Skills/Characteristics:Strengths/Skills/Characteristics: Adaptability (flexibility as market Adaptability (flexibility as market

changes)changes) Collaborative (connected; different Collaborative (connected; different

groups)groups) Passion (+usefulness = what people Passion (+usefulness = what people

want)want) Persistence (pick yourself up)Persistence (pick yourself up) Risk-taking (recognize opportunity)Risk-taking (recognize opportunity)

Gender DifferencesGender DifferencesWomen:Women:Tend to have less Tend to have less small business small business experienceexperienceNetwork primarily Network primarily with other womenwith other womenHave financial and Have financial and non-financial goalsnon-financial goalsDifferent reasons for Different reasons for going into businessgoing into business

Men:Men:More likely to believe More likely to believe they have the skillsthey have the skillsAsk for larger Ask for larger amounts of start-up amounts of start-up capitalcapitalStart businesses with Start businesses with mainly financial goalsmainly financial goalsAre more likely to Are more likely to have multiple small have multiple small businessesbusinesses

Entrepreneurial DNAEntrepreneurial DNA BuilderBuilder

Strengths: Driven; FocusedStrengths: Driven; Focused OpportunistOpportunist

Strengths: Risk-Taker; ActStrengths: Risk-Taker; Act SpecialistSpecialist

Strengths: Expertise; DepthStrengths: Expertise; Depth InnovatorInnovator

Strengths: Creative; Client-orientedStrengths: Creative; Client-oriented

From: From: Entrepreneurial DNA Entrepreneurial DNA by Joe Abrahamby Joe Abraham

Assessing Your Own Strengths

Strengths: Adaptable Collaborative Creative Passion Positive Risk-taking Responsible Self-Confident Visionary Others:

Apply your strengths: Example: use Visionary

to decide what matters Use Collaborative to

partner Use Risk-taking to start Use Passion to stay the

course

NetworkingNetworkingPeople and organizations to People and organizations to

add:add:

YOU

ResiliencyResiliency Facing realityFacing reality

Dealing with what isDealing with what is

Making meaningMaking meaning Creating opportunity from adversityCreating opportunity from adversity

Developing relationshipsDeveloping relationships Asking for supportAsking for support

ImprovisingImprovising Making do with what you haveMaking do with what you have

ChangingChanging Capturing the learningCapturing the learning

Covey Quadrants: Covey Quadrants: Important and UrgentImportant and Urgent

Important, Not Urgent (planning; research; design)

Important and Urgent (emergencies; commitments; meetings; planned tasks, etc.)

Not Important, Not Urgent(non-revenue)

Not Important, but Urgent(interruptions: cell phone, trivial tasks)

Taking ActionTaking Action How will you use your two best How will you use your two best

strengths this week or this strengths this week or this month? month?

Identify at least one person and Identify at least one person and one organization to add to your one organization to add to your networknetwork

Pick a development area and Pick a development area and decide how to grow. decide how to grow.