Can A Perfectionist Be A Successful Entrepreneur?

[Dien Rice]

For a long time I thought it was difficult for a perfectionist to be a successful entrepreneur... A quick online search will reveal LOTS of articles, warning would-be entrepreneurs against being perfectionists!

Then... I read some of the following...

"And as a relentless perfectionist, [Steve Jobs] came up with creations that actually delivered on their promise -- raising the bar for rivals."

(From Steve Jobs: He Thinks Different.)

Steve Jobs is a very successful entrepreneur in the tech industry, with his companies like Apple and Pixar.

"I'm a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren't, I wouldn't have this company.... I have proven that being a perfectionist can be profitable and admirable when creating content across the board: in television, books, newspapers, radio, videos." - Martha Stewart.

(From Oprah's Cut with Martha Stewart.)

Martha Stewart has a diverse publishing and broadcasting empire.

A friend said, "He [Wayne Huizenga] was always a perfectionist, whatever he got into he would carry through on it".

(From Wayne Huizenga - Entrepreneur's Hall of Fame.)

Wayne Huizenga is the only person to have founded 3 companies to make the Fortune 500 - Waste Management, Inc., Blockbuster, and AutoNation.

I don't think you have to be a perfectionist to be an entrepreneur - and maybe in many cases it's a liability. Yet, I think these 3 examples show that a person can be an exceptional entrepreneur, and also be a perfectionist. I think in certain cases and industries, it can give an entrepreneur an advantage!

Just some food for thought (for all the perfectionists out there)...

Cheers,

Dien