Birth Order Doesn't Affect Small-Business Success

I am your typical first-born child--responsible, punctual, an overachiever and a few people have told me I can be bossy. My younger brother is just the opposite. He's laid-back, kind-hearted and spends large parts of his days looking for stuff he misplaced. On the surface, I'd think would have a much better chance at business success than my brother. But this study says entrepreneurial success has nothing to do with birth order. Instead researchers found that your parents' career paths are more likely to influence your decision to start a business.

"Entrepreneurs are made, they are not born," says Michael Alter, president of SurePayroll which conducted the survey. "There's no DNA sequence that determines whether you will succeed or fail. But the earlier you start to think entrepreneurially, the bigger advantage you have. That's a gift that you receive naturally when you are fortunate enough to be raised by entrepreneurs."