What makes a successful entrepreneur? I have been asked this question recently on a leadership podcast. I came up with a number of bulleted answers and shared what I see as ideal qualities for someone wanting to start or maintain a business.

Reflecting on my answers, I remembered this too entrepreneurial success it is not defined by a particular set of traits or the profile of the founder. Compare, for example, Jeff Bezos' drive for innovation and transformation with Oprah Winfrey's connection and community-mindedness. These entrepreneurs-turned-global-tycoons have very different qualities, informed by unique life trajectories and worldviews. Yours will be unique to you too.

So, to successfully run your business, it matters less than exactly what these signature qualities are. What matters is that your values—essentially, your moral principles—take form in your virtues—essentially, your best practices. When these two frameworks align, you get buy-in from your colleagues and customers, leading to growth and goodwill.

confidence

One of my core values ​​is confidence. This translates into assuming that no matter what I face, I will find a way to come out on the other side, whether in my professional or personal life. This value was instilled in me early on.

When I was five years old, my family and I were deported from the Congo (then Zaire) because we were of East Indian origin. With only the clothes on our backs, we went to Toronto. But just a few months later, my father died, leaving my mother to work for the first time in her life and raise me and my two sisters alone. It wasn't easy acculturation to a new continent while providing for a grieving family, but in these struggles, I witnessed how far self-belief took my mother—and, ultimately, could take me.

Related: What to do when personal values ​​conflict with business decisions

Self-preservation

Fast forward to the present day, self-confidence as a value appears as a virtue protecting my energy. This is essential because running a business can be exhausting. In addition to feeling overwhelmed by competing demands for your time, skills, and approval, there is a risk of self-doubt and, consequently, self-sabotage. like a recent HBR article admits, “Even experienced leaders question themselves. Past experiences or criticism from authority figures hijack our inner voices at times, resulting in rumination and limiting beliefs.”

I am proactive in conserving my physical and psychological energy to counter such threats. At work, I take breaks that allow me to really disconnect. Sometimes, I go for one fast walking in nature or do an intense workout; whatever I do, I leave my phone behind. I have a personalized stress-relief routine at home that includes reading and journaling. These habits enable me to take care of my body and replenish my emotional reserve, both of which protect the energy I have to believe in myself.

Related: 4 Reasons why values ​​matter so much in business

Right people, right places

The key to self-confidence is self-knowledge. But because my business is no longer a solo venture, I need to really get to know the people around me. This brings me to another core value that can be difficult to put into practice when other people are involved – and especially, their careers. It's honesty.

At the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I sometimes elected employees just because they were available, ambitious or just around. But when my software company went from a bootstrapped dotcom to a SaaS provider serving thousands of customers worldwide, I learned that having the wrong people is very expensive and that finding the right people is difficult and rare. . I have witnessed how there are creators and managers in every organization. Some people thrive on being told what to do; others must continue to challenge the status quo. Sometimes, hires for a certain role no longer (or maybe never) align with your core values, so they need to be let go.

Related: The 4 types of people you need to surround yourself with for success

Telling it like it is

To recognize this reality, you must be honest with yourself and your colleagues about who should do what and for how long. A frequent comment from operations leaders “is that they wish they had acted sooner to assemble the right team,” notes one McKinsey article from earlier this year. As a younger entrepreneur, I felt this regret regularly, so agree with the article's point: having the right people in place enables the “changes in mindsets, behaviors and skills needed to successfully execute business strategy.”

Nowadays, achieving this balance can be very difficult. But I can usually get there by being honest about what a role requires and what the individual who is supposed to fulfill it can deliver – including when that individual is me! Outside of work, I surround myself with those who not only understand my field, but will tell it like it is. In fact, I rely on this support system, which includes members of the Entrepreneur Organization (OE) and other local entrepreneurship and technology networks, to keep track of my virtues and make sure they stick. reflective of my values.