25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs Do you have what it takes to get through hard times?To legally operate a vehicle on public roadways, one must have a driver's license; to excel in sports, one must train and practice; to retire comfortably, one must become an informed investor and actively invest for retirement.Most can be learned with practice and by developing a winning attitude, especially if you set goals and apply yourself, through strategic planning, to reach those goals in incremental and measurable stages.Far too many home business owners fail to take their own businesses seriously enough, getting easily sidetracked and not staying motivated and keeping their noses to the grindstone.Regardless of your definition of success, there are, oddly enough, a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful businesspeople.Little do these skeptics, who rain on the home business owner's parade, know is that the number of people working from home, and making very good annual incomes, has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.Do what you enjoy What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put into your business.They also fall prey to naysayers who don't take them seriously because they don't work from an office building, office park, storefront, or factory.Therefore, it only stands to reason that the more you become known for your expertise in your business, the more people will seek you out to tap into your expertise, creating more selling and referral opportunities.Here are the traits that help home-based business owners thrive.This way, you can see how you stack up. Even if you don't have all of these characteristics, don't fret.There are certain musts that have to be fully developed, implemented and managed for your business to succeed.There are many business musts, but this article contains what I believe to be some of the more important musts that are required to start, operate and grow a profitable home business.So if you don't enjoy what you're doing, in all likelihood it's safe to assume that will be reflected in the success of your business -- or subsequent lack of success.You call a plumber when the hot water tank leaks, a real estate agent when it's time to sell your home or a dentist when you have a toothache.You can place a check beside each characteristic that you feel that you possess.Obviously, you want the most accurate information and assistance that you can get.