To succeed as an entrepreneur, it’s
important to have the useful skills required for your chosen venture.
In this concluding series, on additional business skills worth developing in 2013
There is no doubt that every business
requires a specific skill set and related domain knowledge. However,
there are certain skills which every entrepreneur, no matter what
business he is involved in, should have in order to stay afloat in his
chosen field of endeavour. According to business analysts, successful
entrepreneurs world-over are usually characterised by their ability to
deliver on projects assigned to them. This is as a result of relevant
skills which they possess, which always make them stand out in business.
Experts say business skills are not rocket science and if you’ve got
the willingness, you can easily develop them and carry on your business
in a better manner. In our first article on this subject, some of the
skills discussed include problem solving skills, adequate confidence,
ability to meet customers’ needs, arithmetic skills, networking and
public speaking skills. Below are additional skills which every
entrepreneur should develop in 2013 if he must remain competitive in his
sector, according to experts:
Decision-making
As an entrepreneur, you should be able to
come up with tenable decisions. Your sense of judgement must be smart.
Though it is wise to seek the inputs of workers by allowing room for
consensus, experts say, entrepreneurs must understand that their
decisions will largely influence the growth of their ventures. According
to them, consensus building is an art, and it’s not the answer for
every type of decision. Knowing when to make decisions independently and
when to involve others is important. It’s equally important to realise
when a decision must be made and when to wait a few days or weeks. So,
as an entrepreneur, look for ways to improve on your ability to make
shrewd decisions that will impact your business positively.
Time/self management
Your ability to manage your time wisely
will enable you run your venture with ease. Of course, there will be
challenging moments, but adequate time management will give you an edge
in your chosen field. In self-management, experts say you should know
yourself. Know how to manage yourself. Be confident and comfortable
identifying when you’re stressed or struggling. Recognise what energises
you. And what drains your energy. The more entrepreneurs understand
about themselves, the better they will manage their own behaviours. You
can also take time out to relax. Adopt a work hard/play hard attitude.
Be the best business person you can be. Then find the time and the
activity to keep you grounded.
Writing skills
Some entrepreneurs may see this point as
being odd, but the fact is that you should know grammar basics. More
importantly, refine your writing style. Try different approaches of
explaining your logic. Practice composing succinct thoughts. Also,
communicate like a professional. It’s not only about talking to the
other person or to your client. It’s about every form of communication,
be it on phone, through email, through a letter or any other way of
sending your thoughts across. Effective communication is one of the must
have entrepreneurial skills and if you think you aren’t very good at
this, prepare to learn how to communicate in the most effective manner,
convince others and get more business. It is therefore important to
develop your writing and communication skills.
Be dynamic
The business environment is always
changing and this requires some form of dynamism from you as an
entrepreneur. Experts say you can develop a strategy and start working
towards your goal. Since the world is changing everyday, you might soon
realise that the strategy isn’t working. In this case, you should
immediately adapt to the changes and adopt new methods of working while
keeping your vision intact. Also, mix your passion with planning. If you
aren’t passionate enough, chances of your succeeding in your business
are slim. But if you get carried away by passion, that’s equally harmful
for your work. Hence the idea is to mix passion and enthusiasm with
planning and execution. Experts note that entrepreneurs, who fail to
apply wisdom in an ever changing business environment, may end up
running their business aground.
Aggressiveness
A good entrepreneur must be smart.
Dullness is not a characteristic of an astute entrepreneur. Being smart
requires some form of aggressiveness and being aggressive doesn’t mean
you are always pumped up and blindly grab every opportunity that comes
in your way. It means you are ready to take risks, sometimes calculated
and sometimes out of your gut-feeling. It means you aren’t satisfied
with an achievement and are hungry for more. It means you are always
available for your work. And yes, it also means you are ready to make
sacrifices when required. These are features which astute and aggressive
entrepreneurs possess.
Resilience
This is another skill that needs to be
improved upon in 2013. Without a doubt, persistence is a must-have trait
for anyone who hopes to make it big in his business. Persistence isn’t
using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence
is having the same goal over and over. Your ability to persevere in
business is vital. Resilience is one crucial characteristic of a good
businessman. Also, always look for ways to do things differently.
Experts say that’s what winners do. Apply new techniques and tricks to
an already existing business model instead of trying to search for that
new idea. You’ll save time. Really, the learning never stops when you
are an entrepreneur. And you should never let it stop either. No matter
how big your business grows, you should keep learning everyday and apply
new techniques to make your business better. You must never be
complacent in business. No business, absolutely no business can be
considered fool-proof. One mistake and the empire could crumble.
Complacency is usually the first step towards this destruction. So
better not be complacent. By improving on these skills and the ones
earlier discussed in our first article on this subject, you will be able
to impact positively on the growth of your venture, experts say.
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