3 Signs You're Wired to Be an Entrepreneur (Even If You Don't Realize It)

The real question isn't whether you have a good idea or the right strategy. The real question is: Am I wired for this?

Am I going to be able to handle the quiet times, the silence? Am I going to know what to do when absolutely nothing is going my way and there's nobody telling me what the next step really is?

Because the reality is, if you want to start anything—whether it's a business, a creative pursuit, or just find a way to transform your life—it's not going to come down to the idea you have or the strategy you put in place. It's all going to come down to how you manage the uncertainty and the times where you have to figure things out.

So let me tell you the signs, the signals, that maybe you are wired to be the type of person to start, even if you don't recognize it in yourself.

Sign #1: You Move Through the Maze

The first sign I like to think of like a maze. Imagine that you wake up in the morning and you're just trapped in the middle of a maze. What do you do?

Most people just stand still. They wait for someone to arrive with a map.

But if you're the type of person that just moves—even if it's not perfect, even if you're not sure where you're going—because the idea of just standing still is even more terrifying, well then, you might be wired to be the type of person that builds something new.

Starting a business is kind of like that. Every day you wake up and you are just dropped down in the middle of that maze again. And every day the walls have changed a little bit. But if you just stand still, whatever negative thing is in that maze will come and find you. You have to start feeling your way through.

Sometimes pieces of it will be familiar, and other times you will be starting from scratch again, but you have to build the map as you're moving. You can't sit and wait for someone else to do it for you.

So if you've ever been that type of person—whether it's at home, at work, in your personal life—where you were in a situation where nobody told you what to do and there were no instructions, and yet you still moved forward, you still figured it out, well then, yeah. You might be showing one of the key signs that you can do this and that you might actually thrive in the environment of entrepreneurship.

This ability to navigate uncertainty is central to developing real entrepreneurial confidence—the capacity to act effectively even when you don't know what's coming next.

Sign #2: You Keep Going When No One's Watching

The next sign is how you handle a lack of feedback and progress.

Starting is going to be fun. Once you get going, at some point, the spark that you initially felt is going to go away. It won't go away entirely, and it may not go away forever. But you are going to be in those quiet times where you're not getting any feedback, where nothing you do seems to be making a difference.

And it's at those moments that some people just keep going. Without any external pressure, without anybody telling them that they should or they have to, they just keep doing it anyway.

Those people are operating on a different frequency.

It's not hustle or grit or grind. It's just this quiet belief that there's still something there. Maybe it's buried or hidden right now, but if you can just figure out another piece or two, you can really make this thing work.

That's a quality that shows you are really wired to be the type of person that builds new things, that creates something from the ground up, because it is a thankless job a lot of the time.

Doesn't matter how big your company gets or your product is. Not a lot of people are going to tell you that you're doing a good job. You're not always going to get feedback on what is or isn't working. You're going to have to be comfortable and trust in your own gut that you're doing the right thing and that you're adding value.

And if you have that—if you're the type of person that has stuck with a project way past the time other people would have, even when there's no guarantee that thing is ever going to work—well then, you are on the right path. You're showing the signs that you are wired differently than everybody else.

Many people mistake this internal drive for impostor syndrome, questioning whether their persistence is actually delusion. But the ability to continue when others can't see the vision is exactly what separates entrepreneurs from everyone else.

Sign #3: You Fix Things Without Permission

And the third one is really the one that is closest to my heart. This is the quality or the signal that whenever I see it in anybody—people that have worked for me, people I've worked with—I know that person is going to be successful.

If you're the type of person that will volunteer to work on a project, even if it's not in your job description, if you're someone that will take initiative, even when nobody tells you that it's okay.

You're the type of person that will just fix a gap, fix a problem you see because it's just frustrating you, and you know that things would be better if you did it.

Well then, you are something special. That is so rare.

So many people are waiting for permission. They're waiting for someone else to request their presence or to give them the pay raise that they need before they will do that particular task.

And that's not who you are. That's not who most founders, most creators and entrepreneurs are. They are people that are just so bothered by the problems around them that they just have to fix it. They have to do something.

So if that's you, if you're the type of person that says, "Let me try. I'm going to give that a shot," or "You know what? I've just got to fix that because if I don't, it's going to drive me crazy."

Those are things that really show that you're going to care about it in a different way. And caring about it in a different way is a signal that you're built for this.

This proactive problem-solving approach often helps people overcome analysis paralysis because they're more focused on solving problems than on having perfect plans.

You Don't Need All Three (But Even One Matters)

If you put all those three signals together, if you even have one of them, that might mean that you are wired to get started.

And I know you're probably asking: How strong do they have to be? Maybe I've only done it a little bit in the past.

That's okay.

Not everyone is going to be the loudest. Not every one of those signals is going to be screaming to the world. Just questioning whether you're good enough is actually a sign that you have the right thought process because you're not. You won't know everything. You never will. And you always need to be questioning what you can do to get better.

So yeah, you might not be the loudest or the flashiest. You might even be doubting or questioning whether you really are wired that way, but let me just say: if you are the type of person that is finding your way through the fog or the maze, if you're the type of person that is taking initiative, not waiting for permission, well, then at least you're showing some of the early signs.

And if you want to see your entrepreneurial persona, I built a fun little app for just that!

The Power of Acting "As If"

And the best thing you can do now is to just pretend that you are the type of person that is wired for this.

What I mean by that is: just spend a day pretending that you are going to be able to handle whatever comes your way.

Go back and look at the ideas you've had before and look at the ideas that are maybe in front of you right now, and know that you'll probably find a way to get through it.

Does that change how excited you are about it? Does it change whether or not it feels urgent?

That's what I do. One of the greatest superpowers that I have is my ability to just look at any problem, any opportunity, and not get hung up on whether or not the idea is great, but also not to get hung up on how scary it is to do.

I can just evaluate it for what it is. Is this something that I would enjoy doing, something I believe I can add value to other people with? And if so, maybe I'll give it a shot. Nothing big, but I might start it.

The Real Test

Here's the truth: you don't know if you're wired for entrepreneurship until you try it. These signs are indicators, but they're not guarantees. The only way to really know is to start something and see how you respond when things get difficult.

But if you recognize even one of these patterns in yourself—if you've ever navigated uncertainty without a map, persisted when no one was watching, or fixed problems without being asked—then you have more entrepreneurial wiring than you might think.

The question isn't whether you're perfectly suited for entrepreneurship. The question is whether you're willing to find out.

And maybe, just maybe, that willingness is the most important sign of all.

Your Next Step

If you see yourself in any of these signs, don't wait for more confirmation. Don't wait to feel more "ready" or more "wired." The best way to know if you're cut out for this is to start something—anything—and pay attention to how you respond when it gets challenging.

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Because that's when you'll discover what you're really made of.

Want to understand what challenges await as you start building? Watch how to navigate the 4 stages where most aspiring entrepreneurs fail and learn to anticipate the common traps.

Ready to test your entrepreneurial wiring in a structured way? The First Step Entrepreneur program provides six weeks of challenges designed to help you discover and develop your natural entrepreneurial instincts.