Some believe you’re born an entrepreneur. However, if you understand what makes someone an entrepreneur, can it be something you learn?

Job role: ‘entrepreneur’. It’s risky. The prospect of having to sit in front of a mortgage advisor explaining that you’ve started your own company and oh, by the way, can you ‘borrow half a million for a flat in London please?’, doesn’t sound quite so realistic.

Ever since I can remember I’ve always had little projects on the go in the hope that it’d make me my millions. I recognise my entrepreneurial spirit as having the tenacity and frame of mind to actively seek out golden opportunities that inevitably make me, not someone else, richer.

thirst for cash

I didn’t grow up on hand-outs so a strong work ethic was instilled from a very young age. I wanted money for a better lifestyle, the good stuff… dollar bills for pillows (ok, not really). Knowing my end goal meant I was better equipped to work out what I needed to do to get there. I was always able to find a problem and identify a solution.

Working in advertising sales for most of my career meant I was always making others some serious money. I can imagine how Rupert Murdock benefited from the millions of pounds worth of advertising that we brought in.

confidence in yourself

Sometimes we just don’t believe that being an entrepreneur is possible. It’s as though it’s reserved for the enjoyment of others. So you’ll just watch from behind the counter in the comfort of your current job, thank you very much. I’ve never been one to sit on the sidelines, even a fortune teller told me that when I was 11. Picture a bull pawing the ground getting ready to charge. Then it’s go, go, go!

time management

Chances are you may be working on a side project alongside your job. The organisation that’s involved and the process of finding a routine that works for you can be exciting. So grab yourself that gorgeous new notebook, curl up with a pen and get your ideas down on paper, girl!

not business minded

I studied Maths, French, History and IT at A Level, so already you can see how my mind operates (cha-ching!). At Uni I studied Accounting and then on to Marketing. I’m very business minded and can draw out a business model in 5 seconds flat for pretty much any company that I work with. The simple solutions are the ones that work best. But if you’re not business minded, there is nothing to say you can’t employ someone to do this stuff for you. Quite. The point of an entrepreneur is idea generation, the ability to seek out new ways of making money. It’s filling a gap that’s relatively untapped so let someone else do the things you’re weakest at.

get creative.

You know that episode in Friends where Monica creates a folder full of research and job roles, alphabetised and laminated for Chandler to choose from? I did something like that when I was in my final year at Uni; an ideas book. It contained haircare solutions (the straighteners that infuses oil into hair actually got invented, ha!), dress sketches, book ideas, event plans, mock up adverts using magazine cut outs. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew I had lots of ideas. Create your own ideas and dreams book and see where it takes you.

shop the post

Lansdowne Bag – Aspinal of London

Heels – Old season, these at Jimmy Choo

Pink Dress – Miss Selfridge

Coat – Last season, try this at Oasis

Words & Styling by Lauren Silvester

Photography by Zoe Griffin