Several times a week someone asks me this question: What does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur?

Sometimes people ask as they wonder if they have what it takes to quit their job and go for it… Other times they wonder if it’s something they can learn or develop versus something in their DNA…  Regardless, it’s a great question right?

We all want to know what is that one thing that matters most…

My answer: PERSEVERANCE.

There are so many factors that help. Obvious things like intelligence and expertise. Important things like honesty and integrity.  Things like subject matter expertise and skills….

Investors want an entrepreneur to have all those things… and to be fair being successful will likely take some combination of them all… but here’s the thing, if I have to pick one, just one, it is perseverance.

WHY?

Well as I noted in my a post called Pepto and Aspirin, being an entrepreneur is hard. Really hard. And startups typically fail. It’s just a fact. Numbers aren’t on your side. So what I value is the guy or girl who is committed to the cause and they just don’t let go. That doesn’t mean blindly pursuing something that isn’t working (as you have to read the market, be nimble and agile), but it means there will be big challenges that you have to overcome. They may come as bumps in the road or they may be brick walls with spikes and fire you have to climb, but they are coming…

The entrepreneur that has perseverance keeps going. They make it through when others give up too early.

The one that perseveres is still standing when others are knocked down. And if you are still standing, you can succeed.

The recipe is simple: “If you get knocked down, jump back up and keep going… Just don’t stop.”

Of course, if you want actionable strategies to increase your odds, and to help you rise from the grind, we have a community for you: The FĒNX