Entrepreneurs – Student worksheet

ACTIVITY 2. IDENTIFYING ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAITS

Fill in the chart to identify your own entrepreneurial skills. Add any extra skills, knowledge or attributes from your own lists.

I HAVE IT I NEED TO DEVELOP NOT RELEVANT

AND/OR IMPROVE IT TO ME

Verbal communication
Written communication
Visual communication
Listen effectively
Manage conflict
Work in teams
Cultural respect
Deal with difficult questions
Identify problems
Identify the causes of problems
Evaluate solutions to problems
Select best solutions to problems
Act without prompting
Energy
Innovation
Organise information
Cope with personal commitments
Have personal goals
Set challenges
Have an eye for detail
Learn from experience
Flexible to deal with change
Create new ideas
Work new technology
Identify opportunities
Identify and manage resources
Negotiating
Influencing
Being fair

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ACTIVITY 3. INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW A LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR

Use this interview template to interview a local entrepreneur. As a class, share your findings. What are some common
themes that emerge?

INTRODUCING…
 What goals do you have for your business?
 How do you define success for yourself in terms of self-employment?
 What does the future of the business look like?

ONCE UPON A TIME…

 How did you get to be self-employed?
 What or who influenced you to take this path?
 When did you know you wanted to be self-employed?

EARNING DOLLARS AND SENSE…

 What is your educational background?
 What formal qualifications do you have?
 What is your employment history?

THE HARD YARDS…

 What skills do you have that enable you to be successfully self-employed?
 Which of these did you bring to self-employment and which of them did you have to learn along the way?
 What skills do you not have that would help you be better at what you do?

REACHING FOR THE TOP…

 What is the one thing you are most proud of in the time you have been self-employed?

BUMPS ON THE ROAD…

 What has been your biggest mistake while you have been self-employed?
 What have you learnt from it?

THE BEST AND THE WORST…

 What is the best thing about being self-employed?
 What is the worst thing about being self-employed?

PEARLS OF WISDOM…
 If you knew another young person thinking about becoming self-employed, what advice would you give
them?

Profile template sourced from “Profiling Young New Zealand Entrepreneurs” Kate Lewis, New Zealand Centre
for small and medium enterprise research, Massey University, 2005

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CONCLUSION. QUIZ
What’s your attitude to risk? Are you an impulsive or cautious entrepreneur? Circle the answers that you feel apply to you
to find out.

You have been asked to introduce yourself to someone you haven’t met. Would you do it?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you be a vegetarian when none of your friends are?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

You are with a group of friends you admire but don’t know very well. They are talking about
something you know nothing about. Would you admit it?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you hang out with someone your friends don’t like?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you try out a sport your friends aren’t interested in?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you become friends with someone who’s not popular?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you stand up for someone who was being treated unfairly?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

Would you wear your favourite jacket even if it was out of style?

A) Definitely B) Maybe C) Not a hope

What did you most often circle: A, B or C?

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Mostly A

You enjoy taking risks. Life is full of risks, but you need to make sure that you calculate the risk involved and
keep making smart risk-taking decisions.

Mostly B

You are inclined towards risk but not sure whether you want to take the final step. Gathering information is
always good but don’t lose out by not being able to take a risk.

Mostly C

You might be a little too cautious. You may be denying yourself valuable exercise and social contact or cutting
back unnecessarily on your quality of life.

FIND OUT MORE WITH BUSINESS.GOVT.NZ:

Business.govt.nz provides free access to a wide range of resources, including tools and interactive content. It acts as a
gateway to government and private sector business information, news and services.
Next steps:
 Before buying a business
 Assess the health of your marketing
 Cash flow forecasting
 How much money do you need to start a business?
 Quick start business plan tool
 Determining if you are in business

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