The process of designing, launching and running a new business, whether it is online or offline, requires a particular mindset and special skills to achieve success. Even though some studies say more than 70% of people dream of running their own business, it’s fair to say that not everyone will succeed as an entrepreneur.
Starting and running your own business involves plenty of hard work and effort over time. It requires you to learn new skills take consistent action and stay positive, even when times are tough. And yet you also get to choose to do the work you like to do, and which makes the most of your strengths and skills.
For many people, the pride, purpose and even the money that can follow, makes all the hard work and effort worthwhile. Ten of the benefits that entrepreneurs say come with being an entrepreneur include:
- Autonomy
- Opportunity
- Impact
- Freedom
- Responsibility
- Being your own boss
- Time and family
- Creating a legacy
- Accomplishment
- A sense of control.
So what are the attributes of a successful entrepreneur?
In order to succeed in your new business you will need to:
- Believe in yourself
- Be willing to take risks
- Have passion for what you are doing
- Have an inspiring vision
- Be tenacious
- Be willing to defy conventional wisdom
- Be very flexible and willing to do what it takes
- Be able to manage your fears of the unknown.
If you have or are willing to develop those traits, you will increase your likelihood of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
But you also need some very specific skills in order to succeed as an entrepreneur. Here are eight essential skills you will need to develop your new business to its full potential.
Focus
As a business owner, you will bombarded every day with a myriad of demands, crises and things to do. It can be very easy to be distracted from the things that are most important. Successful business owners are skilled at determining what really matters and focussing on that.
Resilience
Business involves many ups and downs. Sometimes the downs can seem soul-destroying. It is a skill to be able to move past them without allowing them to destroy your focus or even give up on your dream.
Management skills
A successful business owner needs to lead and manage people.
Long term vision
The capacity to envision a future several years ahead can allow you to take the right steps every day to work towards your success without getting distracted.
Salesmanship
Entrepreneurs need to have great salesmanship skills in order to be able to enlist the support of others in achieving your dream.
Self-reliance
When you are the boss, you need to be able to depend on yourself. It can be very lonely being in business and difficult to find anyone who understands what you are doing. Self-reliance is a critical skill to possess for a successful entrepreneur.
Self-reflection
The ability to pause, reflect and learn from your mistakes or ‘near-misses’ is critical to your success as an entrepreneur. Of course you not only need the ability to self-reflect, you need to do it regularly!
Learning
No entrepreneur knows everything they need to know when they first start out. However most successful entrepreneurs are lifelong learners, committed to earning knowledge at every opportunity.
If you would like to learn more about the Entrepreneur’s Mindset and How to Become A Successful Entrepreneur you will enjoy these tips.
