By Clem Keane, Ellen Doyle and Cillian Flynn

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY JAY-Z

“I’M NOT A BUSINESSMAN, I’M A BUSINESS..MAN.”

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=NXFQRM-53TK

• Introduction

• Definition of an Entrepreneur

• Traits of an Entrepreneur

• Quote

• Conclusion

• References

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION Our topic for our student led seminar is on the personality of Jay-Z. Jay-Z is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. He has won numerous accolades including over ten Grammy Awards and has a net worth of over 460 million.

We will go through the different personality traits and outline how Jay-Z built his throne.

ENTREPRENEUR

An entrepreneur is someone who exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take benefit of an opportunity and, as the decision maker, decides what, how, and how much of a good or service will be produced.

TRAITS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR • Passion

• Vision

• Risk-taking

• Persistence and hard work

• Leadership

PASSION• A powerful drive to create success, wealth, legacy or fame is the

primary motivator for most entrepreneurs. They are intensely passionate about what they do, almost to the point of fanaticism. Their goals are set high and when attained, are reset even higher. Money is not usually sought for its own sake, but as way of keeping score.

• Jay-Z has an extreme passion for the music that he makes.

• He always strives to make his newest album better than his last

VISION• Most people wait for the right opportunity to present

itself. The true entrepreneur is always on the lookout for yet another new opportunity. It is often just a matter of perspective.

• Jay-Z has an extraordinary eye for successful business ideas.

• Ron Howard a 59-year-old award-winning director, followed the rapper while he organised the “Budweiser Made In America music festival”, for his first-ever documentary film as a director.

• Ron confessed: "I certainly really respected Jay Z. He was so busy because he was covering this festival that he really did run. So I had some interviews with him and I was surprised by the depth and the vision, the big vision, not just for the moment, but for the future."

PERSISTENCE AND HARD WORK• This is a big attribute. The obstacles that cause many people to quit are minor

setbacks for the true entrepreneur. Winners persist. Losers desist. It is often that simple personality difference that separates the happy successful person from the frustrated failure.

• Jay-Z along the years has had many different business ventures. He and Damon Dash started a clothing line called Rocawear in 1999. The clothing line sales socks and sandals, leather, suede, and fur outerwear, handbags and belts, lounge wear, big and tall, headwear, jewelry, and sunglasses.

• Rocawear has had annual sales of $700 million. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million. However he retains his stake in the company and continues to oversee the marketing, licensing, and product development.

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=1-FRJ460V30

• There are a lot of leaders that have been able to lead their groups towards great accomplishments yet these milestones would not be achieved without the help of every member of the team. Looking back to the past generations, forms of leadership have been changing

• Like a piece of clay, Jay-Z was molded from experiences in his past to what he is today.

LEADERSHIP

RISK-TAKING• The entrepreneur has a high tolerance for risk. The average person is afraid of doing

something in case of failure. A true entrepreneur knows that failing to attempt something is a greater failure than trying and not succeeding. In fact, they often don’t even realize that they are taking a risk. What others may judge as a risky situation, entrepreneurs see as an opportunity for a higher reward.

• Jay-Z’s label Rocnation took the risk to invest in different types of business opportunities, he manages major athletes such as Victor Cruz (American football), Robinson Cano (Baseball), Skylar Diggins (Basketball)

• In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation.

• The label is a 50/50 partnership between Stargate and Jay-Z's Roc Nation entertainment company, which he signed in the same year to Live Nation.

• In early April 2013, Roc Nation formed a new sports management division, Roc Nation Sports. The new company will act as an intermediary between high-profile athletes and the sporting teams and companies seeking to capitalize on their abilities, just as any traditional sports management agency would.

• It was also announced that week that Jay-Z signed a multi-year deal with Universal Music Group to distribute all future Roc Nation albums.

• Manages Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Rita Orta, Willow Smith, J.Cole, Timbaland, MIA

“I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to

learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That's what this world is about. You look at

someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time, and trying to

be brighter.”- Jay-Z

“I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning, so I was forced to be like a businessman because when I was trying to get a record deal, it was so hard to get a record deal on my own that it was

either give up or create my own company.”- Jay-Z

CONCLUSION In conclusion, we think that Jay-Z possesses many of the five personality traits that we have discussed.

He used these personality traits to set up his many successful business ventures. He is an Entrepreneur, Artist and Producer.

REFERENCES • http://www.independent.ie

• http://rocnation.com

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfqRM-53Tk

• http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml

• http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jayz.html

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-FRj460V30