One of the questions that gets asked often when entrepreneurs are studied or interviewed is whether succeeding in business for oneself is a skill that can be learned or taught or if it is something that is more innate and you are either born with or not. While surely people can learn the skills associated with bookkeeping, manufacturing, or other aspects of running a business or producing a product; that may only qualify them to recognize, comment, or advise others on it - but not to do it for themselves. To perform these tasks in one's own business requires something that has been at the core of nature versus nurture debates for quite a while, passion.

That lesson was replayed for me lately when I had a meeting with Zel Bianco, Owner of Interactive Edge (www.interactiveedge.com). Zel runs a software application business that provides clients with the ability to combine different sources of data into analytic presentations in real time. The benefit of Interactive Edge's products over conventional methods of data aggregation and analysis is that it shrinks the amount of computer memory and file space required to do the tasks, allows for "on the fly" analysis where a customer or buyer can ask to see the data on his or her company or brand's performance analyzed over different time frames, against other competitors, or using different measures, such as market share vs. sales dollars, etc.

A Peek Inside

As a small business with approximately twenty employees

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in their New York City headquarters, each employee wears many hats and is asked to perform different functions as client needs ebb and flow, business opportunities arise, and resources are committed to other projects. While one may have a business card or a job title that reflects one particular area of expertise, it is not uncommon at all for people to be expected to pitch in and do tasks outside their previous experiences, academic preparation, or even preferences. Zel is not immune from diving in himself and doing tasks that are necessary, but not part of his current skill set. In the span of a ten hour day I spent with his team, he acted as salesperson, marketer, general manager, web analytics guru, catering manager, HR department head, travel agent, and many other functions that occurred outside of my view or awareness.

However, in the busy day together, which very likely mirrored most other days within his company, there were some lessons to be learned about whether being an entrepreneur is a learned skill or something that one is given at birth.

Late Nights

During the course of my meeting with Interactive Edge personnel to discuss a business opportunity, Zel checked his calendar and noted that the company was due to present to a client in the near future. Without hesitation, Zel asked one of his key lieutenants which evening the two of them could work on the presentation. The dedication to getting it right and to winning the business far outweighed the inconvenience of having to spend time into the evening to devote time to the project. Zel is at a point in his professional career where he no longer has to push for every sale in order to keep the doors of his business open, however, the fire still burns within to get "the next one" and he will not accept less than a fully prepared execution of the presentation that was to be given.

Take Away - Entrepreneurs don't accept "good enough" as being acceptable. There is a fire within that drives them to excel.

Hire Skill or Will

Like many businesses that require employees to meet customer needs, Zel has had experience in sourcing, selecting, and hiring employees. And similar to many other entrepreneurs, Zel has made some very good hires and has had to learn from less successful choices made when hiring. In listening to how he spoke with his employees and how they responded to him, it was clear that Interactive Edge succeeds in part because it is not solely dependent on having people with credible backgrounds and experiences alone. What has to be in place aside from the technical or professional skills is a desire to not accept the status quo. A willingness to go through extra effort in pursuit of achieving or accomplishing something bigger or better.

Being familiar with Zel and his company for over 15 years, I have had occasion to meet many of his former and current employees and while he and I shared lunch we recounted some of the experiences we have jointly had with clients in common, working relationships I have had with some of his prior employees, and impressions of what made some of those employees stand out. Universally, the theme that emerged was that the projects that were a success, the relationships that moved forward, and the employees remembered fondly all had more than just the professional skills. They had a yearning to push themselves, their clients, and me to perform even better. When compared to those employees that struggled, it was clear that the less successful ones were more passive and accepting of circumstances and did not seek to challenge themselves.

Take Away - Entrepreneurial ventures will be more likely to succeed when the business owner and key employees ask questions that start with "how" and "why can't" and not provide answers that begin with, "it won't work because" or "we never have done it like that."

Opportunity Identification

As Zel and I spoke of industry issues, client pressures, product development, and what it takes to succeed in the increasingly competitive marketplace - one other clear distinction between entrepreneurial thinking and those that do not posses it emerged. Zel and I discussed a series of complex business challenges that the clients and industries that we service are wrestling with currently. Yet, at each new scenario mentioned, the focus was on doing one or more of the following:
Making the complex more simple
Reducing the time or expertise required to accomplish tasks necessary for clients to succeed
Identifying the critical few from the unmanageable many
Eliminating non-productive energy, expense, or effort.

Take Away - Entrepreneurs are focused on zeroing in on finding and providing ways for clients to succeed. By better understanding the needs of customers and clients, the entrepreneur is able to align marketplace needs with product or service offerings.

My journey into New York City to meet with Zel Bianco was to pursue mutual opportunities and perhaps collaborate on a few projects, but in the course of our busy day together, I came away even more convinced that the spirit and soul of an entrepreneur is not something that can be created or developed with counseling or training. It is either there and possibly nurtured further, or it is not allowed free expression through circumstances - but the exuberance for the task cannot be manufactured. The zest and zeal of a Zel Bianco to lead his team to meet current needs and anticipate future needs of clients drives Interactive Edge and their employees to always seek the next peak in the distance.

David Zahn is a serial entrepreneur and consultant to Fortune 100 businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com) as well as entrepreneurial startups (www.startupbuilder.com).

The opinions expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of connpost.com. Please direct comments to cdauber@ctpost.com.