Americans kicking entrepreneurial spirit into high gear in 2010

A new survey from Discover Small Business Watch shows that coming out of the recession, Americans are not only creating new business incorporations, they are continuing to run them as well.

Though many entrepreneurs have considered altering or changing their business plans because of the economy, more than half of small business owners said they would not take another job for the same, or even more, money. In addition, 41 percent of owners said they would never sell their companies, even if they could make a profit from the sale.

As for the reason an entrepreneur may look to create a corporation, 50 percent said they either wanted to have more flexibility with their time or be their own bosses, while another 16 percent said they were looking for a “feeling of accomplishment.”

Part of that entrepreneurial drive may actually be innate. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University say that up to 40 percent of the tendency for a person to start his or her own business may be genetically inherited. While there isn’t a “startup gene,” researchers say that many traits shared by small business owners – such as openness or extroversion – are passed down.