Our community members here at Centerco chose to pursue their dream of being entrepreneurs and to open their own businesses for a variety of reasons. When we asked them recently, here are some of the responses that we got:

• “I needed freedom from my daily routine.”
• “I believed I could lead a better life if I worked for myself, rather than for someone else.”
• “I had a product that people needed.”
• “I prefer to work alone.”
• “I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny.”

Whatever your reason, the time has never been better to strike out on your own – especially in St. Louis, a city that is becoming increasingly well known for its innovation and entrepreneurship.
Danni Eickenhorst, a marketing and business strategy consultant and a Centerco community member, shares that there are certain personality types best suited for business ownership – and that it takes a variety of personalities to make a business truly successful in the long-term.
“A friend of mine, Travis Sheridan of Venture Cafe, shares the analogy of the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker as the formula for success in any business. The butcher takes care of the details and systems. The baker is your doer – your tactical worker bee. The candlestick maker is the visionary that leads the company with one common vision,” said Eickenhorst.
Typically, a company will start with a candlestick maker personality – someone who sees that they have something to offer and wants to branch out to offer that value to a larger audience. They are often, but not always, gregarious and tend to be big picture thinkers. They benefit from the grounding of the butcher personality that can help them systemize their vision in a way that helps it sustainably grow. They also lead by training talented bakers in their industry.
If you feel that you are a candlestick maker, don’t be afraid to pursue your entrepreneurial intuition! Just remember, you can’t always do it on your own and having a butcher and baker will make you much more successful as your business grows.