ENTREPRENEURIALIST CULTURE QUOTIENT TEST- DISCUSSION

Therese-- good question. Pets, why pets? The thought was that if you had pets, you probably knew how to care about/for something other than yourself, like, maybe, having a business to take care of. BMF

"John Warren" <johnnyjw@hotmail.com> 09/11/01 09:11PM

My name's John Warren, I sit in the 42.360 class in the tiny Loeb building room (homely isn't it) right behind the broken chair, in the back row.

Anyway, got a 69 on the ECQ, which was only disappointing for one reason, because I was one point away from seeing what the score meant for the 70-79 range. Oh well, I'll "give it a whirl" as the entertaining quiz suggested. :-)

The reality here is I do want to start a business one day soon.

John- actually, the ECQ test is not as straight forward as it looks. I believe that successful entrepreneurs actaully score between 68 and 78. We gamed the test to throw people off (at least that's what we are saying now). You don't get the real results until after you have taken the test. Please don't pass this on to your classmates until after they have taken the test. Above 80 and almost certainly above 90, you may be too well prepared- entrepreneurs have to be a little like that Bob Seger song: "I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." Some ignorance (for example, not actually knowing how hard you will really have to work for success or how long it is going to take or how much money it is really going to cost is ... bliss). BMF

Fitzroy Jacobs <Fitz287@go.com> 09/13/01 11:18AM

my score was a dismal 47.

Fitzroy- not to worry. I have a client who scored 51. He is doing quite well in his entrepreneurship career. He is both dogged and determined. BMF

"Tim Renczes" <trenczes@home.com> 09/21/01 12:15PM

I think it's safe to say that the ECQ test is valid... I've been running my own business for the last 6 years while going to school (www.chipware.ca), so I hope I've learned a thing or two. I certainly hope that I can learn to exploit my entrepreneurial talents while sharing my experience with the class.

Tim

BTW: I'm already signed up for 491. :)

Tim- very cool site. Where's the "Buy" button? (i.e., how come I can't order on line at chipware?) BMF

Paul Andersen <paul@egate.net> 09/05/01 06:13PM

Bruce- I think I messed up the ECQ test. I took it and immediately started prodding the source code to see how I could make my score better :) For the record, my score was NN.Cheers, Paul

Paul- your score is very typical for entrepreneurs. I think that the ECQ actually measures entrepreneurship ability in an "S" curve rather than linearly. Successful entrepreneurs score from 65 to about 78. Once you get over 80 and for the few who scored over 90, I think entrepreneurship ability actually drops- these people are too expert and that can be a disadvantage. Entrepreneurs need to be a little like Bob Seger (the singer/songwriter): "I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." Some naivete, a never-say-die attitude and a willingness to conquer the mountain one step at a time while changing direction frequently as conditions change is important. Over planning and infleibility kills entreepreneurship. BMF ps. thanks for your feedback.

Denis Tanguay, P.Eng. <denis@DIGS.CA> 09/05/01 07:55PM

Hi Bruce,

I did the test. Interesting. I have seen a similar version before. My score was MM. Two things it doesn't cover is your willingness to "pay the price" in the start-up years. (I have seen to many SMB owners pay themselves 100K per year on start up and run out of start-up capital before they are able to bring it to profitability.) The second thing is your ability to provide great customer service and retain your customers. As you know it is cheaper to retain your customer than to make new one.

More feedback later.

Denis

Denis- thanks for your feedback on the ECQ test. I have added a discussion page inside the password protected space with your comments and Paul's so far. Your score is exactly in the ballpark for successful entrepreneurs. Regards, Bruce

The ECQ(ns) test is scored out of 100. The highest possible score is 100 and the lowest possible score is 16.

If you scored*:

80+

You have a high ECQ(ns). Congratulations or commiseration; you may be on your way to the exciting, demanding and ever challenging world of entrepreneurship where your years will be 'hockey years'- you will age two years for every one that your friends age in their J.O.B.s.

70 to 79

You are likely suited to the world of entrepreneurship but you will need a lot of work, effort, discipline, focus and some luck to make a go of it. Carpe Diem.

60 to 69

You could give it a whirl. You will need to 'perfect' your business plan and business model so that the harder you work, the more money you'll make. If you get it wrong by just a few degrees, you may end up like Tom Hanks in Castaway, i.e., using stone age tools just trying to stay alive.

50 to 59

You are caught between getting a J.O.B. and the world of entrepreneurship. Perhaps you need a partner.

Less than 50

You should realize that not everyone will find happiness being an entrepreneur. You may prefer stability and peace of mind, and you might view work as a means to an end. Is it possible that you are better suited to a large company environment? You may look at a low ECQ(ns) score as a high Employee score (EMP(ns)), where EMP(ns) = 100 - ECQ(ns).

Note: Students are asked not to use this test for any purpose other than entertainment.

Copyright. Dr. Bruce M. Firestone, Ottawa, Canada. 2001. Contributions by students Geoff Waddington, Gita Ravindra, John Watson, Nikhil Mahidhara, Richard Isaac.

*Subject to revision. See comments above in discussion.

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