Profile of a Successful Entrepreneur
Occupational Skills
You need to be skilled at the type of business in which you intend
to become involved.
The greater your expertise in your chosen business sector, the
greater your chances of success.
If you are planning to enter into something completely new, try
to get some hands on experience before you start. For example,
if you are planning to take over a pub – get a job as a barman
even if it means working for nothing for a few weeks. This will
give you valuable experience and the landlord will probably give
you plenty of advice and help about other aspects of running a
pub.
Business Skills
You need to know how to run a business. A successful entrepreneur
will have an understanding of management, marketing, financial
forecasting, dealing with people and understanding customer needs.
If you do not have these skills personally, they can be found
in a partner, an employee, a contractor or acquired through training. Training
is essential, however, because even a basic understanding of these
skills will make you more effective. This can be provided through
the local Business Support Network.
A Personal Support Network
You will need to have the full support of your partner, as working
for yourself can be a demanding way of life. Enlist the help
of your family and friends. The larger the support network the
better.
You may need to use someone from this support network to stand
in for you if you are sick or go on holiday.
It is from this network that you can start to establish the larger
network of contacts that all businesses need to help them grow
and prosper.
Commitment and Enthusiasm
Total commitment to making your venture succeed is essential. You
must also be enthusiastic – enthusiasm makes the work fun
and more importantly enthusiasm sells!
Finally you need to be determined and be prepared to persevere
and overcome any difficulties that may arise.
You can learn about the type of business that you enter; you can
learn how to run a business; but your personality can be the deciding
factor in your success!
Strengths and Weaknesses
It is a useful exercise to work out where your strengths lie and
what your weaknesses are. This will enable you to make the
maximum use of where you excel and find ways of overcoming your
shortfalls.
Different businesses need different skills and personality traits. It
is worth checking that you have the right skills and abilities
for the business you are planning to start.
Don’t be discouraged by your weaknesses. Once identified
you can find ways of overcoming them. You can educate yourself,
retrain, enlist the support of someone else, sub contract
or delegate.
Further Business Advice
The Enterprise Agency offers free and confidential advice to businesses
in North East Lincolnshire. If you have a business idea and would
like to give it the best possible chance to succeed, then contact
the Enterprise Agency on 01472 312121
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