I've heard it said that entrepreneurs need three things  - smarts, guts and luck.

Your smarts can be street smarts, book smarts or creative smarts. You've got to be able to use your intelligence to navigate decisions rationally and analytically.

You must have the guts to go after your big ideas. You need courage to put yourself out there and not worry others would think. You need to be brave enough to try things even if other people think you are crazy.

And Luck? Even with smarts and guts sometimes you just need things to fall your way. These elements are all critical, but there is one more thing every entrepreneur needs and that is friends. Everyone loves the image of the solo entrepreneur working in the basement into the wee hours of the morning but great leaders in successful companies surround themselves with friends.  You should too.

Good friends serve as your sounding board. They'll let be there to bounce ideas and brainstorm without judgment.  They will help you think through the tough issues and recharge your batteries when they're low.

So you need all the other things but you got to have friends.