Skills needed as an Entrepreneur

from Entrepreneur.com 09 Feb 15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

There’s a question that haunts every would-be entrepreneur – and many actual entrepreneurs – every day: “How do I know if I have what it takes?” Yes, the Internet is full of ideas, tips, tricks & awesome quotes on starting a business. But do you actually have the skills? Find out – here are skills every entrepreneur must have to be successful.

1. The desire to “improve” your World. In the end, the best and most enduring motivation is to make a positive change in the world. When you focus your business and your success on that top priority, you’ll find yourself ready to weather any storm to meet the goal.

2. Focus on your Customers. To be clear, without customers, you have no business. Make sure all of your pitches, products, & services are focused on actual customer needs. If you don’t know what these are, research and ask questions, so that you’re able to give great customer service when you launch your product.

3. Closing a Sale. Letting customers know you understand their pain is important, but asking for the sale is where many entrepreneurs get stuck. If you’re nervous about this step, do research on the web, ask a friend in sales how to do it or enroll in a sales workshop.

4. Being Productive. There’s no one right way to be productive that works for everyone. Learn about your peak energy times, your routines, & the productivity tools that work for you, in order to create your own plan for success.

5. Conducting basic SEO. In the beginning, you’ll be doing the work of every function in business. With that in mind, do you understand basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? If not, you’ll want to brush up on this area, before you launch a business or ask a SEO Web expert for help.

6. Connecting via Social Networking. Along with SEO, social networks represent a key part of any business’s marketing strategy. Not only will you need to understand each platform, you’ll want to arm yourself with the best strategies for getting your startup & personal brand noticed on each one.

7. Evaluating Alternatives. A simple process that involves running a scenario two or more ways to test a possible change. It’s commonly used to make Websites more effective, but it can be used in many areas of project management & marketing as well.

8. Making Entrepreneur Friends. Improve your odds of success by finding entrepreneur friends who will be able to understand your struggles and give you much needed insight.

9. Identifying Strengths & Weaknesses. In a business, you don’t need to be perfect at everything. You do, however, have to understand where you’re strong & where you’re weak. Assessing this will allow you to make better business decisions (ie, bringing on Partners, hiring employees you cover you weaknesses.

10. Spotting New Trends. Business moves fast, so you’ve got to have the ability to see changes coming in your industry. Make it a point to keep up to date on new startups and the advances in technology that could be poised to disrupt your field.

11. Raising Money. In order to get investment, you need to not only understand where to get money, but how to convincingly make a case that your business is a good risk as well.

12. Managing Money. Very simply, if you can’t manage money, you can’t manage a business. Do you know where your money goes each month? You’ll need these skills to manage a business budget as well.

13. Dealing with Failure. No business venture is a straight line to success; knowing how to deal with ups and downs is essential. Remember that every successful person out there often failed many of times before becoming successful. Failure isn’t the end – it’s just a learning point on the way to success.

Conclusion: Don’t let this list intimidate or discourage you. Being an entrepreneur is a big task, but all of these skills can be learned. If you notice one you’re lacking in, go get it! Your eventual success depends on it.

Comments: Are there any Skills you think should be added?