How the world’s best entrepreneurs are Daring to Compete

Not-so-secret superpowers that enable entrepreneurial excellence

Drawing on these inspiring stories and on the collective wisdom that EY has compiled over more than 30 years of working with leading entrepreneurs, we explore the not-so-secret superpowers that differentiate the most successful innovators. Although each entrepreneur forges a unique path to success, we found eight key traits that unite diverse experiences and personalities. In Daring to Compete, we identify and examine each trait. And, in their own words, the featured entrepreneurs help bring these traits to life, offering valuable insights for leaders seeking to strengthen their entrepreneurial muscle.

EY 7 Drivers of Growth^TM in action: a framework for driving sustainable success

Those who triumph share another characteristic: a disciplined framework for driving growth.

We call this framework the EY 7 Drivers of Growth^TM. Developed through years of research and experience in working with entrepreneurs around the world, it is a blueprint to help companies align their capabilities with their growth strategies, powered by seven distinct levers.

As demonstrated by the visionary entrepreneurial leaders we interviewed, those who achieve sustainable high growth remain laser-focused on the customer while understanding the importance of maintaining balance between all the drivers in order to grow quickly yet sustainably.

In the book, we explore how these leaders have activated different drivers to unlock their ambition and accelerate growth, bringing each driver into sharper focus and illustrating how they can apply in real-world scenarios.

Trust your instincts: the unique role of intuition in the entrepreneurial mindset

In highly successful entrepreneurs we observe one additional, hugely influential element that knits together those key traits and a disciplined approach to growth strategy for maximum impact: a healthy respect for intuition. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year trailblazers help illuminate the role ‘gut instinct’ has played in their courage to challenge convention and transform their businesses.

As Dame Rosemary Squire, Trafalgar Entertainment Group, said in Daring to Compete: “You need intuition to recognize a good opportunity – and then you need the imagination to add color, to look at it, examine it, develop it, and make it complete. .... If you have done your due diligence, if you are on top of your numbers, you know your subject matter, and if your intuition says this is going to help me get to my destination, then you are in a very strong position to succeed.”