How Top Entrepreneurs Set Themselves Apart, and How You Can Follow Suit
Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
If you’re planning to start your first business in 2019, to make some of your long-held career and personal goals come true, don’t jump into the deep end without having first done everything you can to give yourself the best chance of success.
While there are many upsides to working for yourself, there are also plenty of risks and stressors to be aware of.
However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of such issues if you follow in the footsteps of successful entrepreneurs.
Read on for some of the ways top entrepreneurs set themselves apart and how you can follow suit as you create your venture.
-
Learn as Much as You Can Upfront
One of the most important things to do is learn as much as you can upfront. Top entrepreneurs always talk about what they do to learn and how they never know it all, so follow in their footsteps and give yourself a better chance of success.
Before you start your venture, or otherwise as soon as possible, educate yourself on relevant business topics. Consider enrolling in a degree at a university, such as an MBA or an economics, accounting, psychology, marketing, engineering or computer science degree. An undergraduate or master’s degree in data analytics is worth it, too, as so many advancements and decisions can be made through the use of analytics these days.
On top of university studies, also attend seminars, talks and workshops, or opt to participate in a short-course online or in person courses on important subjects; join business clubs and associations; read books, blogs, magazines, newspapers, forums, white papers and reports; and attend relevant trade shows, conferences and other industry or business events.
The more you learn, the easier it will be to make informed decisions. You will pick up new skills, be more open to the feedback and suggestions other people and stay up-to-date on new technological developments, industry trends and more.
-
Focus on Being an Effective Leader
The world’s most successful entrepreneurs are also known as being excellent leaders. They get the most out of their teams and display a variety of personal traits that help them inspire, motivate and assist employees to be as productive as possible.
To be a top entrepreneur, focus on being an effective leader. No matter the size of your current or future team, you must have, for instance, good communication skills, both in writing and orally. This is one of the most important characteristics to develop. You must be able to get your ideas, vision and wishes across to staff members and know how to listen well and read body language, too.
You will also use communication skills to talk about your business and its wares enthusiastically to customers and potential investors and lenders and thereby generate interest. Plus, you’ll need the skills to deal with conflict; negotiate with suppliers, employees and other people; and handle presentations.
To be an effective leader, you also have to become a flexible, adaptable person. When managing a business, you’ll be faced with numerous setbacks and challenges and will need to change tack as necessary. By being adaptable, you’ll be more likely to be open to excellent, new opportunities when they come your way. And, you’ll be better equipped to work with a wide variety of people, from different backgrounds and cultures.
Other traits to work on include focus, problem-solving, being creative, having a clear vision, time management, attention to detail and persistence and resilience.
-
Locate the Right People to Help You
To get where you want to be in business, you can’t do everything by yourself. You need to surround yourself with a good team of people. This is something top entrepreneurs always do. Listen to interviews with successful, long-term CEOs and you’ll hear them talk about how their business took off when they found their essential team members or mentors and were able to delegate more, be innovative and strategic in their decisions and work on their business rather than in it.
To follow suit, locate the right people to help you build your business and grow as an entrepreneur. While you can bring on board employees or contractors to help you with day-to-day tasks, don’t be afraid to also turn to other people, such as mentors, advisors, board members and other consultants, too. These people can share their experiences, knowledge, skills and opinions with you and act as sounding boards and provide emotional support.
Being in business is certainly often stressful, time consuming and otherwise challenging, but if you follow the steps laid out above, you will give yourself the best possible chance of success and be more likely to enjoy the ride.
Throw us a like at Facebook.com/doable.finance
