It is easy to say you want to be an entrepreneur. However, it’s another thing entirely to actually become one. You need to be prepared to work harder than you have ever in your life. It will require commitment from you, and a whole other array of skills you may not have even considered. For successful entrepreneur and investor Kath Purkis success starts before you’ve even developed a business plan or sometime an idea. Kath’s success stemmed from her in-depth knowledge of the market through her initial research. This led her to discover gaps in the market that she could fill and from there her business was created. What skills do entrepreneurs like Kath have that make them successful?
Determination
One of the main things you will need to succeed is determination. There will be a whole world of elements thrown at you during your business venture, and you need to be prepared to tackle each and every one. James Kinsella co-founded instantprint, a printing company that looks to help start-ups through marketing materials such as brochures or books. He advised, “It’s an emotional roller coaster. If you compare working for someone else versus working for yourself, the highs when you’re doing really well are absolutely amazing, but equally when everything’s going wrong, things are not so good. But you stick with it. It’s all about having faith that it’ll come back around.”
People Skills
You may be thinking that being an entrepreneur, you will need to solely rely on yourself. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having good people skills. If you can’t get people to work for you, how will you get people to buy from you? Those who can work well with others, and network, are much more likely to succeed. You should be able to motivate your employees and get the best results from them, which will enable your business to grow.
Confidence
Another trait which can go hand in hand with those people skills is confidence. This doesn’t mean that you have to be extroverted in order to be a successful entrepreneur. If you are passionate about what you’re talking about this will naturally come through. Plus, as the saying goes, you can always fake it until you make it. Act more confident than you feel and soon enough you’ll find yourself feeling it for real.
Patience
You cannot expect to be an instant success overnight; your business is going to need time to grow. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country took decades to get to where they wanted to be. Don’t try to cut corners as this will come round to bite you later. Put the work in and be prepared for a slow slog. If you persevere over obstacles, the rewards will feel much more satisfying.
When you decide to become an entrepreneur, you need to remember that what you need to make your business work is you. Keep reminding yourself why you started this work in the first place. What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur?
