Are Entrepreneurs Born, Or Can They Be Made?

“(Most entrepreneurs) simply got tired of working for others, had a great idea they wanted to commercialize, or woke up one day with an urgent desire to build wealth before they retired. So they took the big leap.”

Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur turned academic, claims that despite the common misconception that entrepreneurs are a certain “type” of person, most entrepreneurs are not simply born with the ability to start and build businesses, they learn how to do this over time. It’s the classic nature vs. nurture argument, and many well respected people including the likes of Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures and Jason Calacanis of Mahalo, are bullish on nature.

However, Wadwha’s survey of 549 successful entrepreneurs proves otherwise. More than 50% of these entrepreneurs were the first in their family to start a business, only a quarter caught the entrepreneurial bug when in college, and very few were running lemonade stand businesses when they were in diapers.

Personally, I didn’t know I wanted to be an entrepreneur until late in college when an entrepreneur friend of mine told me he thought I’d make a good one. My parents were very interested in their jobs and often dinner conversation turned to work, but they did not run their own businesses. And sure, I may have sold Gatorade that my mother bought for a huge mark up one time when I was 8 years old, but I certainly wasn’t running a lemonade stand monopoly.

I guess I’m a lot like the people Wadhwa refers to above. One day I woke up and knew I had no interest in working for someone for the rest of my life. I needed excitement, I needed passion and I needed to do something that mattered. Now, I can’t see myself ever doing something else.

As long as you have a great idea and you’re willing to work harder than you can possibly imagine, anyone can be an entrepreneur.

What do you guys think? Are entrepreneurs born or can they be made?