According to US-UK research, our genes determine whether we are more likely to be entrepreneurial / likely to become self-employed. About half of an individual’s propensity to become self-employed is apparently from genetic factors, with the other half being made up of chance events or random meetings (though presumably there are people more likely to seize opportunities and take those chances?).

How did they find this out? By using identical twins as a means of research:

“researchers looked at whether one twin being an entrepreneur increased the chance of their co-twin becoming an entrepreneur.By comparing the difference in similarity rates between
identical and non-identical twins they are able to establish the
importance of genetic and environmental factors. The similarity rate within the identical twins group was
greater than for the non-identical twin group which suggests that genes
are important.”

The professor behind the research, Tim Spector, said that “”The research is important for business schools and
employers who in the future could identify ways of selecting those who
were most likely to succeed.” The SSE already recruits on the basis of entrepreneurial characteristics, personal qualities, life experience and ‘knowing the market’ (aka being engaged with/understanding the community they are golden goose falsas aiming to serve), so perhaps we are heading this way already. DNA testing probably a little way off, though….

Oh, and lest we forget, if you are a second-born, you might be more likely to be a better entrepreneur: check out this article which interviews Ben Dattner, who has a doctorate in organisational and industrial  psychology. Snippet:

“Second-borns have a lot of the classic entrepreneur personality traits: they’re creative, risk-taking, flexible, and more likely to embrace new paradigms than first-borns are. They’re also more relationship-focused, more concerned about fairness and justice, less academic and more interested in the international scene than their older siblings”