There is no clearly established link between business success and the personality characteristics of the individual. To investigate the effect of the personalities of potential entrepreneurs/business owners on success, college senior business administration majors (N=152) participted in a business simulation game. Subjects first completed the Work and Family Orientation Inventory to measure achievement motivation, the Extended Personality Attributes Questionnaire to assess stable owner characteristics, and power/influence questionnaires. Subjects then participated in teams of four in the business simulation game for 8 consecutive weeks. Teams competed against one another by developing various business strategies and carrying them out within the computer simulated game. Success was defined as the net profit and capital stock and surplus over eight "quarters" of the game. Regression analyses indicated that multidimensional achievement motivation, need for power and influence, and needs for external reinforcement had complex relations to success at various periods of the game. Results from the initial stages of the game were similar to those reported for survey data of owner/operators of businesses in the field. Differences between the patterns for male and female subjects were found which require additional study both within controlled laboratory settings and in field research with successful male and female entrepreneurs. (NRB)