This week is Global Entrepreneur Week and it’s inspired us to think of our author-clients who inspire us with their entrepreneurial spirit. Whether they’re actual entrepreneurs, or whether they simply embody those traits, they remind us of how closely linked entrepreneurship and authorship can be. Here are some traits that authors and entrepreneurs share:

1. They are some of the most self-motivated people you’ll ever meet

Whether you’re poised at the keyboard, staring at a blank page, or sitting in your boardroom trying to figure out the next phase of your business strategy, being an author or entrepreneur takes deep self-motivation resources. You always have big tasks ahead of you, and you’re often setting your own schedule, so you need to set – and stick to – your own deadlines in order to get things done and achieve your goals. That is no easy task.

2. They are both market-driven

When authors are writing non-fiction books in their areas of expertise, they not only need to think about what they want to write, they also need to consider what their readers want to read. Putting your audience first, and writing in a way that will best inform and engage them, is a great way to set up a successful non-fiction book. The best entrepreneurs think the same way about the businesses they build: they study their target consumers and consider what their needs are, then create products and services that meet those needs directly and successfully.

3. They have both vision and flexibility

Writing a book, like building a business, requires great vision and the willingness to pursue that vision with passion and drive. However, this kind of vision shouldn’t be single-minded or dogmatic. Entrepreneurs need to know when to pivot, when to shake things up, and when to shut things down. Similarly, smart authors know how to adjust their vision when required. They might receive feedback from an editor or another expert that requires an overhaul of their manuscript or a significant departure from what they had originally intended to do. Authors and entrepreneurs know when to stay true to their vision and when to adjust it in a strategic way.

Cheers to all of the entrepreneurial authors out there. Page Two salutes you!