INTRO
Entrepreneurship is the “process of creating something different with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards or monetary and (/or) personal satisfaction” (Hisrich, 1990). This definition is sufficiently broad encompassing the many paths an entrepreneur may take, be it Schumpeterian profit maximisation or the social entrepreneurial desire to create social wealth (Zahra, 2009).
The aim of this essay is to analyse some of the personal traits academics believe to be common to established entrepreneurs, in turn discussing how these strengths and weaknesses are applicable to myself.

STRENGTH 1: “Innovativeness with the ability to combine resources effectively”
Kirzner’s (2008) view of the entrepreneur is that they are “not creators, merely alert” to opportunities which arise around them. This somewhat contradicts the Schumpeter (ian) (1961) ideology that the entrepreneur is a “heroic… daring… captain of industry”. Forming a hybrid between these views, Casson (1982), states that the “entrepreneurs task (is) to discover and exploit opportunities… where products or services can be sold at a greater cost than their cost of production”. Combining the views of Kirzner and Casson describes the entrepreneur as someone who can spot a solution to a problem by using an existing product in a different application to that which it was originally designed.
During my studies of engineering at college we were set a “design – make – evaluate” project. The task was to find a gap in the market, either by inventing something new or improving an existing product. My concept combined the principle of the ‘dead-man’s handle’ (as on a fly mower) with a pushchairs braking system. By combining these two elements, I manufactured a prototype pushchair where the brakes would only release