Dear Judette, I am finally about to launch my own business and I have gotten lots of advice from my investors on the finance and marketing end of things. But I feel as if there is something missing. What do you think makes for a truly outstanding entrepreneur?

Margaret Hosein
Claxton Bay, Trinidad.

Dear Margaret,
Let me answer your question by asking one of my own.

It's 1977. You've got five hundred dollars in the bank what are you going to do?
a. throw one hell of a party
b. buy a used car
c. start a venture capital company investing in IT firms
Ask Ann Winbald of Hummer Winbald, one of the most successful venture capital firms in the world. 

It's 1984. You have $1,000.00 in your bank account and soon to be 19. What are you going to do?
a. party
b. car
c. start selling PCs from your dorm room
Ask Michael Dell.

It's 1981. You're 31, a doctor by profession and a family business, in a field you know little about, is on the verge of failing. What are you going to do?
a party
b. car
c. reinvent a failing soft drink brand and become a global manufacturing titian.
Ask Dr. Aleem Mohammed of SM Jaleel & Co. Ltd.

The point I am making here Margaret when it comes to entrepreneurship, to be successful, truly successful you've got to have chutzpah. Courage. Plus you need to be unique with your ideas, different from the rest at least for one moment in time. It shouldn't matter if you are inventing a new toilet brush, thinking of opening a PR agency, or setting up a bakery. What's important is that you become a true expert in your field and a champion for developing and executing on ideas. Remember always it is talent that makes entrepreneurship dance.

You never indicated why you left your firm, but I would suspect that you felt your talent was being ignored, misused or not rewarded enough in terms of cash or recognition. So you decided to become the President of Me Inc.

Drop your raised eyebrows Margaret, I've anticipated your question. Me Inc. is your brand and to develop it requires even more chutzpah. When you become an entrepreneur you must look upon yourself as a company with your own balance sheet and brand name and you've got to work hard at creating attention and attraction for yourself. Now attraction and attention may be a matter of content i.e. updating your skills, education but that alone won't bring you real success. The question you must continuously asked is: "Under what slogan do I want to be sold?" When you come up with the answer you must brand, package and market yourself to suit.

Finally Margaret don't ever, ever become an island onto yourself because when it comes to entrepreneurship you'll only be as strong as the people you know. It's a given formula that entrepreneurial success will always be what you know multiplied by who you know. So devote some time to joining networking and business associations. Just as important are the strategic partnerships that you should form that will allow you to leverage your capabilities so you can reach out more.

I am sure you've researched your product /service Margaret as well as the market. I want to welcome you to the special club of entrepreneurship. You will eventually see that the leap you are about to take is but a short distance to what will eventually be, the journey of your lifetime.

Judette Coward is an entrepreneur and is full flight into the journey of her lifetime.
You can email her at judettecoward@consultant.com