Last week during a Q & A session an entrepreneur asked me “What personal qualities do you think have contributed the most to your success as an entrepreneur?”

I thought him wise to see a link between personal qualities and practical results. These came to mind:

Perseverance: A stubborn refusal to give up looking for a way forward. Upon reflection, I think this equates to a deeply held belief that there’s always a way, that no matter how blank the drawing board is now, a winning solution is in fact possible, it’s out there, it can be found.

Expertise: A specific, developed area of excellence to lean on. Mine was software development. Yours could be influential selling, team-building, accounting, etc. This is a relevant skill you put many hours into to really get good at.

Kindness: A genuine caring about the people your business touches and a sincere desire to treat them generously and fairly. It’s not only the right thing, it’s smart strategy. Yesterday’s assembly line workers and vendor reps might be tomorrow’s executives and partners. You’ll need the kind of trust kindness builds.