Are You a "Born Entrepreneur"?

In interviews for my book, I have asked entrepreneurs about entrepreneurial role models in their lives, assuming that people who have watched someone start a business are more likely to start their own. I still believe that is a potent factor in a person becoming an entrepreneur, but now there is scientific evidence (not proof yet, but evidence) that there may be a genetic factor to entrepreneurship.

New York Times Small Business posted an article today about researchers at Kings College, London, and the University of Cyprus, who have been conducting behavioral genetics (twin) and molecular genetics (association) studies of entrepreneurship. Their conclusions are that there are heritable factors that contribute to entrepreneurship:

• The tendency to identify new business opportunities
• Willingness to be self-employed
• Personality traits that are compatible with entrepreneurship

Put together the inherited tendency and the role model, do you suppose the likelihood rises? I don't think anybody has looked into that. Anecdotally, though, I know a lot of entrepreneurs had an entrepreneurial parent or family member. My own father owned several businesses, and my sons are also entrepreneurs.

Just because nobody in your family ever started a business doesn't mean you can't. But you may have to work even harder at it.

Comments

[Raela Drigger]

This can be considered as a motivation for those who have a bloodline of full-pledged entrepreneurs. But this doesn't mean that those who don't have an entrepreneurial lineage can't venture into it. This discovery isn't supposed to stop anyone. On the contrary, it is something that can make people work harder.

[Shane Adams]

Most people have their own role models in entrepreneurship. It could be a person who owns a big business, or it can be their own parents. The usual line of thought would be that the person who is willing to start a business has the confidence to take a risk. The thought that confidence can be inherited sounds new and interesting. You did mention that you're a family of entrepreneurs.