While they’re very introverted people, and highly risk-averse, ISTJs often make the best entrepreneurs. This is due to their passion for success, their ability to make decisions based on logic, and their excellent planning skills.
On this page, we’ll take a look at why ISTJs often make the best entrepreneurs. We’ll also share one of the traits that may hinder them a little.
Are ISTJs Good at Business?
ISTJs are excellent at business. They have all the traits a successful business person needs:
- Planning
- Punctuality
- Logic-based decision-making skills.
- Determination to succeed
- Perseverance
- Self-confidence
Trust us, if an employer were trying to find an employee to take their business forward, then these are all the traits that they’ll be looking for. These traits describe ISTJs down to a tee, and you’ll find that many of the higher-ups in a business will be ISTJs.
Why ISTJs Can Make Great Entrepreneurs
So, let’s take a look at the traits that we really think can make an ISTJ thrive as an entrepreneur. This is not a list of all of their traits. Just the main ones.
Planning Skills
Most of what an entrepreneur does is planning. This is where ISTJs excel.
ISTJs take a very practical approach to everything they do. They don’t just see a goal to aim for, they know the steps that they should be taking to reach that goal.
This is a far cry from other personality types. There are many, many entrepreneurs who only looked at the big picture. They had plans of becoming a multi-millionaire based on their idea or having tons of employees working on them. Those people failed at being entrepreneurs. It is all well and good knowing where you’re heading, but you need to know how to get there.
Give an ISTJ a goal, and they’ll work hard to come up with a viable method of reaching it. Every single element will be planned out. This is also why you’ll often find ISTJs as team leaders. They need very little guidance and they can come up with a very workable plan.
ISTJs stick to these plans too. Nothing ever deters them from reaching their goals.
Logic-Based Decision Making
ISTJs have a reputation for not letting their emotions influence their decision-making. ISTJs rely on practical instinct. Basically, they are very logical thinkers.
This is exactly what you need in an entrepreneur. You don’t want somebody that is overly emotional and thinks about how a particular decision makes them feel in the ‘now’. You want somebody that can think about the practical impact of that decision.
It is not uncommon for ISTJs to think hard about any decision that they make, and they’ll often have an idea of the practical outcomes of these decisions (even if they are not planning to go down that route). This way, they can say that they analyzed every opportunity.
Remember those planning skills we just mentioned? Well, ISTJs will always be thinking about how a certain decision will impact their planning. They want everything to fit into their overall mission to succeed.
Self-Confidence
Entrepreneurs need to be confident in everything they do. You don’t want somebody that is umming and ahhing over their decisions, the discussions they have with staff, or the discussions they have with potential clients. You want somebody that can speak with belief in their thoughts. When you have somebody that speaks with belief, it is much easier to get everybody to buy into that idea and feel motivated.
Because of the way that ISTJs make decisions, they often exude self-confidence. They know that (in their mind) the decision that they are making is right because they have gone through every potential situation and determined that it is the best one.
Determination
ISTJs have a drive for success. While they are not fans of the plans that they make falling apart, they are good at getting back up on their feet and giving it another go. ISTJs really do not accept failure in their life.
We do want to point out that this can be seen as a semi-weakness. Every failure an ISTJ has, they see as an attack on them. They think that they are the person that got it wrong and that external factors didn’t matter. This can cause them to retreat for a while before attempting things again. However, we promise you, after a good, long think they’ll always give it another go. Nobody is going to tell an ISTJ they’re a failure!
Why ISTJs May Not Thrive as Entrepreneurs
ISTJs have a lot of traits that would allow them to thrive as entrepreneurs, but they have one key trait that may stop them from doing it – they like stability.
You’ll rarely find ISTJs gravitate toward becoming entrepreneurs because they are much, much more content working for somebody else. They don’t want to deal with the instability that being an entrepreneur has. They have the skills to tackle the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur, but they don’t really want to do it.
ISTJs that can get over this weakness can make excellent entrepreneurs but, for many, going against who they are is a step too far.
Final Thoughts
ISTJs have all the traits that an entrepreneur needs. They’re good planners, logical thinkers, and highly driven. However, ISTJs do not always become entrepreneurs. They’re also very risk-averse, and most are not fans of entering a very unstable position. However, if they can get over their aversion to risk, there is a strong chance that they can become highly successful as entrepreneurs.
FAQs
Are ISTJs Successful?
ISTJs are successful. They are very determined to succeed. While they are not fans of obstacles that throw their plan off-track, they’re able to get back on things pretty quickly due to their high levels of perseverance.
Who Are Some Successful ISTJ Entrepreneurs?
Jeff Bezos, of Amazon is an ISTJ. Henry Ford (who founded Ford Motors) is one too. Ingvar Kamprad, who founded IKEA, is also said to have been an ISTJ.
Reference Sources
https://www.personalityclub.com/istj-entrepreneur/ https://www.quora.com/How-can-an-ISTJ-personality-be-a-successful-business-owner
