Five qualities that help make an entrepreneur’s risks pay off

As established business models are increasingly being disrupted, we examine the traits that can lead to success.

You hear some fascinating stories circulating at a conference like EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™: how one person’s first round of funding came from a loan shark, complete with the threat to break his knees. How another used male actors to pose as team members on funding pitches, because she found they made the men she was pitching to more comfortable. (She always came clean before signing on the dotted line.)

And one of the questions I am frequently asked at conferences like this is: “What do you think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur?”

After meeting some amazing entrepreneurs and learning about others, here are my reflections on the qualities they share.

Successful entrepreneurs are...

1. Passionate

The people I met had drive and a strong belief that they could shape their own destinies. Though their businesses ranged from marine engineering and toys to pharmaceuticals, one quality rang true: they were motivated by strong ideas about how to make things better — either for themselves, for consumers or for society.

2. Tenacious

You know those people who just don’t give up? (If it’s your children, take comfort in the fact that they may grow up to be successful entrepreneurs.) One recent winner from the Philippines, Nico Jose Nolledo, is a great example of this. After gaining a business degree, the only job he could get (after the Asian currency crisis) was to be an assistant manager at a fast food restaurant.

But he didn’t give up. He founded his first tech company in 1999, and founded Xurpas (which focuses on mobile content) in 2001 with just US$1,300. Xurpas went straight to initial public offering (IPO) in 2014, and is now South East Asia’s largest consumer technology company by market capitalization, worth PHP28.8b (US$620m).  

3. Both non-conformists and team players

Though these may seem contradictory, successful entrepreneurs are both. It takes an outsider’s eye to spot niches and gaps in the market. But you also have to be able to inspire people and build strong teams. The initial months of a startup are incredibly demanding — if your people aren’t 100% with you, giving their absolute all, you won’t succeed.

4. Focused on the opportunities

Entrepreneurial leaders see opportunity where others see disruption and chaos. This is exemplified by our winner, Manny Stul, Chairman and co-CEO of Moose Enterprises, who increased sales by 7200% in just 15 years. But it wasn’t a smooth ride upward. Success came after being confronted with one of the largest toy recalls in history.

Ignoring advice to declare bankruptcy, he reached approvals with local and international governments, signed ongoing trade agreements with each and every distributor around the globe, and ensured there were no staff layoffs. All this helped the business not only to survive but thrive. Stul was always determined that Australia would be a starting point to global success — and Moose Toys is now the fourth-largest toy company in Australia and the sixth largest in the US.

5. Not afraid of risk and failure

As José Neves, CEO of luxury fashion retailer Farfetch says, “The biggest risk is not to take risks at all. In a world that is constantly changing, the biggest risk is to stand still.” One of our US winners, Jayschree Ullal, would certainly echo this.

Back in 2008, when she became President and CEO of Arista Networks, the vision was to build a company led by engineers to take on established tech giants. The reality was that Arista had no revenues and under 50 employees when she took the post. Under Ullal’s tenure, alongside Chairman Andreas Bechtolsheim, Arista has grown into a billion-dollar business in revenue.