How to Become an Entrepreneur, Based on your Personality Type
It’s easy to think that entrepreneurs fall into just a few personality categories but every personality type has the potential to become brilliant entrepreneurs. Each type has their own unique strengths that can help them succeed when setting up a business.
Read on to find out more about how to become an entrepreneur, based on your personality type.
INFP
As a creative and individualistic personality type, INFPs have the imagination needed to become an entrepreneur. They are sure to come up with an interesting and truly original business idea that allows them to dedicate their time to causes that they’re passionate about. They’re great at innovating ideas – the hardest part is narrowing them down.
How to become an entrepreneur as an INFP creative:
Choose an idea you are really passionate about – as creative and idealistic as you are, you can become self-critical and emotionally vulnerable when things get tough, and that can make you reluctant to take necessary risks. Pursuing a cause you are truly committed to is the best way for you to stay encouraged.
Be realistic – remember that running a business can be hard and the daily slog of detail-oriented tasks can get tedious. Be prepared for the practical reality of entrepreneurship.
Tap into the skills of a Thinker-Judger friend - utilise your friends if you’re feeling overwhelmed. They can help you look at the facts and logical consequences of the (many) ideas you are excited about.
INFJ
INFJs are both visionaries and practical problem-solvers. They are adept at creating practical strategies to help them achieve their goals. These traits and more make them excellent entrepreneurs.
How to become an entrepreneur as an INFJ visionary:
Surround yourself with likeminded people - as an INFJ, you’re independent and private but to have the best shot at your business, it’s important to bring others on board who share your ideals.
Use your decisiveness - you know your own mind so take advantage of this. Have faith in your abilities, have confidence in your ideas and avoid self doubt to make your business idea a reality.
Lean into your natural resilience - your willpower will be the trait you use most as an entrepreneur. When obstacles get in your way, remember that they are just challenges to be overcome. Don’t give up!
ENFP
Energetic and enthusiastic, ENFPs have the self-confidence that’s needed to become an entrepreneur. They will find it easy to get people excited about their ideas - the challenge is putting in the work to make it happen.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ENFP creative:
Harness your charisma - find a way to harness your natural showmanship and use it to your advantage. ENFPs are positive, charming and upbeat, and people respond well to this. Use these skills!
Find your audience - any good business starts with market research. Don’t just focus on the idea, focus on who will buy it. Use your people skills to sniff out who needs your products and then sell to them.
Be patient - being an entrepreneur is a long-term commitment. Things probably won’t happen for you overnight. That means you’ll need to combat the ENFP trait of being easily bored and persevere with your plans.
ENFJ
Asking how to become an entrepreneur as an ENFJ is like asking how to walk or talk. To ENFJs, entrepreneurship comes naturally. They are big thinkers with a clear vision for the future - the trick is practicing caution along the way.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ENFJ idealist:
Think it through first - you’ll have no problem coming up with a master plan for your business but you need to be careful that you’ve properly thought through your decision. Make sure you have the time and resources to make your vision a reality before you jump right in.
Find people you trust - your biggest strength is your networking skills. You have bags of charisma so getting people on board is easy and effortless. The secret is making sure you can trust your new colleagues and that they’re working for you, not the other way round.
Practice time management - you love being busy but to be a successful entrepreneur you need to get better at time management. Try not to overcommit yourself too much in the beginning, work on prioritising the work that matters most to you and your business.
INTP
When starting a business, INTPs can make the most of their imagination and enthusiasm to come up with a product or service that will be successful. If you’re wondering how to become an entrepreneur as an INTP, it is probably because you are looking for more independence and freedom - but remember, it’s no walk in the park!
How to become an entrepreneur as an INTP architect:
Don’t sugarcoat your new career - while entrepreneurship means more freedom, remember that networking, building relationships and answering to other people will still be important aspects of your new career. It’s important to go into entrepreneurship with open eyes and realistic ideas.
Have confidence - though you have the skills you need to become an entrepreneur, your lack of confidence will hold you back. Practice working on your self-belief and conviction.
Get a second Sensor opinion - one of your biggest strengths is your highly analytical Intuit’s brain but it can be a good idea to get advice from a Sensor type too. These practical-minded personality types might be able to see things that you’ve missed.
INTJ
INTJs benefit from intellect, logic and independence, all of which can help them when starting a business. This personality type will probably approach entrepreneurship carefully and strategically, drawing up extensive plans with a focus on efficiency - but to be successful, they’ll need to get others on board as well.
How to become an entrepreneur as an INTJ analyst:
Work on your EQ - while starting a business involves a lot of independence, growing it means drawing on the skills of others. To do this, you’ll need to work on your emotional intelligence to lead your team and retain your new employees.
Be humble - where INTJs need to be careful is that they don’t become too superior. Even as an entrepreneur, you need help and advice from others. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have all the answers all the time.
Strike a balance - it’s easy for your business to take over all areas of your life. As an INTJ, you’ll have to work really hard to keep your work-life balance on track to avoid sabotaging your relationships.
ENTP
The fearlessness of the ENTP is one of their biggest strengths when it comes to entrepreneurship. You’re not afraid to venture into unknown territory and this is a huge advantage when setting up your own business. You just need to master your procrastination problem!
How to become an entrepreneur as an ENTP innovator:
Focus! - Boredom will be your biggest enemy when it comes to setting up a business. Procrastination is the hardest thing for ENTPs to overcome so work on finding strategies to help you knuckle down and concentrate.
Research your business - before you dive headfirst into your new business idea, start with research. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you begin to avoid wasted time and disappointment.
Find your right hand (wo)man - ENTPs tend to be innovative, quick and intellectual but you’re not so good at practical things. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to find your opposite and enlist their help as your trusted advisor.
ENTJ
No one needs to explain to an ENTJ how to become an entrepreneur. This personality type has probably already prepared a strategy, a business plan and a presentation to pitch their idea to you. ENTJs are always focussing on the future and they are very likely to have considered entrepreneurship at some point in their lives - now the question is how to take the first step?
How to become an entrepreneur as an ENTJ strategist:
Consider a side hustle first - If you’re not sure you want to take on the risk of starting your own business, why not try doing it alongside your day job? This gives you a chance to test the waters before you quit your career completely.
Choose the right clients - you know you’re not the most patient person and can easily get frustrated by people so make sure you only work with people who you respect. It will save a lot of headaches down the line.
Make sure you separate work and life - if you’re running your own business, you need to be careful about getting overwhelmed. Force yourself to take time off. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
ISTP
Creative, technical and naturally curious, the Craftsman personality type doesn’t need to look too far to find the foundation for a successful business. ISTPs are tinkerers and they come up with new solutions to practical problems without even thinking. To become an entrepreneur, you just need to learn how to sell those solutions!
How to become an entrepreneur as an ISTP craftsman:
Whatever you do, make sure it’s creative - as an ISTP, you’re only going to be happy if you have a practical and creative career. Whatever business idea you have, bear this fact in mind.
Keep your cool - in business, your biggest strength will be your level-headedness. If you know how to keep your cool in high stress situations, you are already halfway there.
Don’t take risks just for the sake of it - you get bored easily which can lead to thrill-seeking to keep you entertained. When it comes to running your own business, you really need to work on keeping this trait under control.
ISFP
As an ISFP, you are probably naturally creative and use this aspect of your personality to shape the world around you, surrounding yourself with things that bring you joy. Wouldn’t you like to share this gift with other people? It’s not a big leap to turn a passion project into a business - as long as you plan ahead.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ISFP creative:
Utilise your people-centred skills - As an ISFP, your people skills will be your biggest asset. Draw on the strengths of the people around you to turn your ideas into a profitable business.
Plan for the future - ISFPs aren’t great at thinking ahead. To be a good entrepreneur, you need to have a plan in place. If you’re not sure where to start, ask for help from someone you trust who’s done this before.
Stick to your ideas - you might struggle with indecisiveness and self-doubt. If you want to have a successful business, you need to be able to make a decision and stick to it!
ISTJ
Dedicated and persistent, ISTJs make great entrepreneurs. They work hard to achieve their goals, using a methodical, step-by-step approach to getting things done. Where ISTJs can sometimes struggle is in being too risk averse - you can’t start a business without a bit of risk.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ISTJ logician:
Just do it - Advice for how to become an entrepreneur? Get started! Don’t be afraid to take the plunge into the unknown and make your idea a reality.
Be adaptable - to be a good entrepreneur you need to be ready for anything. Don’t resist change, go with it and make sure you and your business come out on top!
Keep persevering - you’re naturally blessed with determination and perseverance. As an ISTJ you don’t give up easily! This is a super important trait when starting your own business. Add in some more self-confidence and you’ve got a winning formula.
ISFJ
The ISFJ personality type has many characteristics that are ideal for entrepreneurship. They’re responsible, hardworking and practical so they’re not afraid to put in the hours - just remember that you’re running a business not a charity!
How to become an entrepreneur as an ISFJ giver:
Choose a caring career - for you, the opportunity to be an entrepreneur is the opportunity to provide for others. When you’re setting up your business, make sure it’s in an industry that lets you be a caretaker to others.
Keep in mind that you need to make a profit - ISFJ entrepreneurs need to be careful of being too altruistic. At the end of the day, you need to be able to make money from your business. That means sometimes making tough decisions and putting your interests ahead of others.
Don’t take on too much - running your own business, you might find that you struggle to take a step back. To be able to care for others, you need to care for yourself too, so be careful about how many things and people you commit to at once.
ESTP
As entrepreneurs, ESTPs are self-confident, efficient and always in control. To be successful, try to find a business idea that interests you and will hold your attention - even after the initial rush is over.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ESTP experimenter:
Choose a fast-paced industry - ESTPs do best when they can work in an energetic and dynamic environment, so choose an industry that lets you play to your quick-thinking, thrill-seeking strengths to get the biggest rewards.
Put structures in place - you love thinking on your feet but you hate thinking ahead. To be a good business owner, you need to put structures in place that will make sure you remember the important tiny details as well as the big ideas.
Commit to your concept - your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur will be practicing patience and actually seeing your ideas through to fruition. If you’re setting up your own business, you need to stick with it - even through the slow parts.
ESFP
To understand how to become an entrepreneur as an ESFP, you just have to learn to harness your charisma and showmanship. A huge part of selling products and services is selling yourself first - dial up this skill and you’ll do well.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ESFP entertainer:
Lean into your communication skills - your key strength is that you’re a people-person. If you can utilize your natural charm to win over clients, customers and investors, you’ll be well on the way to success.
Set different challenges for yourself - as ESFPs are easily bored, it’s important you find a way to hold your focus during the day-to-day dullness and use strategies to help you be more productive. Setting weekly or monthly targets is a great way to stay motivated.
Accept some conflict - thanks to your fun-loving personality, you avoid conflict like the plague but to be an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to get used to having some difficult conversations. You can’t please everyone all the time and that’s ok.
ESTJ
The ESTJ personality type has the strong organizational skills needed to excel as an entrepreneur. They also have integrity, confidence and commitment in spades - the only thing they’re missing is flexibility.
How to become an entrepreneur as an ESTJ organizer:
Play to your strengths - as entrepreneurs, ESTJs can utilise their love of planning, structure and organizing others to achieve their aims. Use these strengths and more to realize your vision for your business.
Be open to new ideas - you have the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur but that doesn’t mean you have all the answers. Work on opening yourself up to the ideas and opinions of others - you might learn something.
Prioritise your wellbeing - as entrepreneurs, ESTJs should be careful of working too hard. Running a business can become all-consuming so it’s essential that you find a way to switch off and de-stress or you risk burnout.
ESFJ
If you’re wondering how to become an entrepreneur as an ESFJ, know that this personality type is extremely well-suited to entrepreneurship. ESFJs have an ideal mix of leadership abilities, practical skills and attention-to-detail that will help them succeed as entrepreneurs - they just need to think of a good idea!
How to become an entrepreneur as an ESFJ provider:
Choose a business that aligns with your values - you are happiest when you’re looking after other people. As a people-focussed personality type, try to choose a business or industry that lets you help others.
Be creative - the main barrier to becoming an entrepreneur for ESFJs is that you struggle to think outside the box. To help your business stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to work on finding something new and innovative that will give you an edge over your competitors.
Get comfortable with rejection - as a people-pleaser personality type, it can be really hard for you to deal with rejection. Being an entrepreneur means getting used to people saying ‘no’ to your ideas, products or services and understanding that this isn’t a personal attack on you. It’s just business.
Want to learn more about your personality type at work?
Every personality type has their strengths in the workplace, from creativity to attention-to-detail to perseverance. This can help you when it comes to how to be an entrepreneur but also in everyday life too. To find out more about your personality type at work and how to play to your strengths, take our Typefinder for Career Planning test today.
