There’s a peculiar underlying thread that cuts across successful entrepreneurs. One so unusual, your headmaster may not completely approve of such an article; and perhaps with good reason because this article borders on troubled teens (pun intended).

However, rather than commenting on personal opinions, Prof Ross Levine of the Haas Economic Analysis and Policy Group Study conducted research that found that prosperous entrepreneurs – such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg – share a common factor in that they got into trouble as teenagers.

It pays

[better] to be an entrepreneur
Levine and co-author Yona Rubinstein of the London School of Economics and Political Science came up with findings that dispelled popular myths that it did not pay to be an entrepreneur.

Their findings suggested that entrepreneurs bagged on average 50% more than their salaried colleagues in similar industries and with the same education levels.

Not all bad you know…
From interrogating a research representative sample of 12,686 young men and women who were 14 to 22 years old when they were first surveyed in 1979, the interviews have since continued.

Some of the positive traits of successful entrepreneurs included being in possession of a high IQ, having above average self-esteem and confidence.

It’s like spotting the queen bee amongst worker bees

According to Levine, a certain cluster of traits could be used as strong predictors and indicators as to who was going to cut it as an entrepreneur later on in life and if they were going to most likely be high earners when they eventually launched their own business.

Not all the traits were considered to be “good”, particularly those shown while being teenagers.

Teen troublemakers may also have a [bright] future in entrepreneurship
“Our data revealed that many successful entrepreneurs exhibited aggressive behaviour and got in trouble as teenagers. This is the person who wasn’t afraid to break the rules, take things by force, or even be involved in minor drugs,” concludes Levine. Click here to watch an in-depth report on the findings.