Over the past few years, Gallup’s assessment of 2,500 U.S. entrepreneurs found that higher levels of entrepreneurial talent significantly increase one’s odds of business success. Compared with their less talented peers, highly talented entrepreneurs are:
- three times more likely to build large businesses and to grow them significantly
- four times more likely to create jobs four times more likely to exceed profit goals
- five times more likely to exceed sales goals
In another study of 111 small businesses in Nebraska, Gallup found that highly talented entrepreneurs exhibited distinctive behaviors. These behaviors resulted in the highly talented entrepreneurs’ businesses outperforming others by 22 percentage points in year-over-year profit growth. Compared with their less talented peers, highly talented entrepreneurs:
- are more likely to clearly articulate the competitive advantage of their companies to their clients
- are more likely to make decisions about pricing and product or service development with their customers in mind
- spend a great deal more time planning for growth and aligning employees’ responsibilities with company goals
- are more likely to align employees’ strengths with their roles, thus maximizing employee engagement and increasing individual performance
These studies demonstrate a clear positive relationship between entrepreneurial talents and business creation and success. Business-building talent affects behaviors that in turn influence entrepreneurial outcomes.
Read more: What Drives Entrepreneurial Success?
