📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Startup Must-Haves: Perseverance and Optimism (Infographic) Starting your own business is a marathon of facing tough decisions.

By Catherine Clifford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If you are thinking about starting your own business, you need to have the stamina of a marathon runner. And once you start your career as an entrepreneur, a glass-half-full attitude will serve you well as you face a continuous stream of problems to solve and questions to answer.

Check out this infographic (below) from the startup organization Funders and Founders, which depicts some of the conflicting thoughts an entrepreneur can struggle with. From coming up with an idea to cashing out, you may face dilemmas where you will be pulled in at least two directions. Successful entrepreneurs learn that to grow, you have to be able to make a decision one way or another, often with no absolute right or wrong answer. Just keep going.

While 40 percent of startup business owners expect the economy to weaken in the next year, a vast majority think their own business will succeed, according to a survey from entrepreneurship organization Kauffman Foundation and online document resource LegalZoom this week. Nearly four of five entrepreneurs that started businesses in the past year think that their business will be more profitable in the next year than they are today, the survey found.

Click to Enlarge+

Startup Must-Haves: Perseverance and Optimism (Infographic)

What do you think is the most critical character trait of an entrepreneur? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

McDonald's Is Responding to Sky-High Fast Food Prices By Rolling Out a Much Cheaper Value Meal: Report

The news comes as the chain looks to redirect back to customer "affordability."

Starting a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: CEO of Complex Shares How Media, Culture Have Shifted in Recent Years

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

Fundraising

My Startup Couldn't Raise VC Funding, So We Became Profitable. Here's How We Did It — And How You Can Too.

Four months ago, my startup reached profitability for the first time. It came after more than a year of active work and planning, and here's what it took.

Starting a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: From Hit Records to Humanitarian Powerhouse, Akon Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.