Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur and Their Journey: A Case Study

What are the skills that contribute to your success as an entrepreneur?

How did you identify and validate your entrepreneurial opportunity?

How did you identify and validate your entrepreneurial opportunity?

What challenges have you encountered as an entrepreneur?

What steps do you take to overcome any personal shortcomings that might impact your venture? From your perspective, what are the benefits and risks of entrepreneurship? 

Did you feel prepared to run the venture at the time that it launched? As an entrepreneur, what process do you follow when making decisions? How does this differ from the decision-making process you might have used in previous careers?

What is the long-term plan for your venture? 

Context There are many types of entrepreneurs and each one has a unique story of their journey from visualisation, or vision of their venture to their current position, and on to their future vision and mission. Understanding the entrepreneur’s journey includes why they decided to start their venture/s, the steps they took in starting up, the processes and tools they have used, and their successes and challenges along the way. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate the characteristics of an entrepreneur, and to analyse how their entrepreneurial journey reflects the theories and practice of entrepreneurship that you have studied in this subject so far. Instructions Approach an entrepreneur to conduct an interview with them about their journey, or if an entrepreneur interview is not arranged, select an entrepreneur from the ones identified in the learning resources in module 

1. Research the entrepreneur prior to your interview; or to gain a broader picture of the entrepreneur you have selected from module

2. Additional research about your entrepreneur might include searching for academic or business magazine articles, social media, and videos.

Your goal is to assess the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and to apply your knowledge and understanding about the theories and practice of entrepreneurship covered in modules 2.

3. After your initial research, develop the questions for your interview. Ask your entrepreneur a minimum of 15 questions. Use the ten questions below as a starting point.

Develop at least five additional questions of your own for your interview based on modules 1, 2 and 3. Your additional questions should reflect the type of entrepreneur you have chosen (serial, social, intrapreneur etc.) Interview questions. What was your motivation or vision that you had for your entrepreneurial pursuits? 

What are some important questions an aspiring entrepreneur should ask before pursuing a venture? If you have selected an entrepreneur from the learning resources in module you will use the same questions as if doing the interview and you will conduct further research to discover the answers. Prepare a case study to include the following:

1. Name and business/industry of the entrepreneur.

2. Identification of the type or types of entrepreneur that would categorise the person you selected, with a brief explanation of why you have identified them in this/these categories.

3. Your analysis of the characteristics of your chosen entrepreneur and why these characteristics have led to successful outcomes.

4. Identify and analyse how creative thinking, design thinking and innovation has or has not been a success factor in the entrepreneur’s journey.

5. Identify how success and failure has featured in the journey, and analyse any relationship this has to the characteristics of the entrepreneur’s mindset.

6. Explain your choice of information you have researched to support your case study. Analyse whether the information chosen was suitable to elicit the best understanding of entrepreneurial characteristics for success.

7. What were the key learnings of the entrepreneur, and how would they leverage these learnings in the future.

8. Reference List (not included in word count).

9. Appendix. Questions inclusive of the ten provided and the five or more you have constructed.