Dave Newberry

 It's exciting and a little frightening to strike out on your own. But the entrepreneurial world is ripe with opportunity if you have a clear vision and the enthusiasm and knowledge to bring a new business into being. Fortunately, you can benefit from the insights of others who have traveled down the entrepreneurial path and found success of their own. Here are five tips that can help first-time entrepreneurs navigate through the entrepreneurial waters.   Have Passion for Your Venture   If you're not doing something you're passionate about, you'll be less likely to stick with the long hours, late nights and weekends that most entrepreneurs devote to their growing business. An entrepreneurial venture is like childbirth - you're giving birth to a new entity, and it has to be a labor of love. Don't jump on board the next hot trend, and try to turn it into a business unless you love it enough to devote all of your waking hours to it.   Chart Your Course ...

 Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? There are certain key traits that most, if not all successful entrepreneurs have in common. The good thing is, you don't have to be born with them. You can develop these traits.   So, if after you read this list, you find you are lacking in one, two or a few of the areas, it's OK. Now you know what you have to work on.   And if you have been trying to start your own business but it hasn't been going well, look through the list to see what you're lacking.   OK, here we go- these are the ten most common traits that successful entrepreneurs have in common:   1. Discipline   Entrepreneurs are focused on making their businesses work. They eliminate things in their lives that are a distraction to getting to their goals. They are planners. They create strategies and implement tactics to progress their business. Successful entrepreneurs are disciplined enough to t...