As the owner of your own business, you will need many skills to survive but it is the intrinsic qualities of patience, persistence, decisiveness, being a self-starter, and working well with others that will play an even larger role in your success. In no particular order, here are five qualities you should have if you intend to go into business for yourself.
1. Patience - Starting a business is the often the easy part, making it profitable can take a long time. Do you have the patience it takes to work long hours, often for little or no money, until your business can support you? Do you have the patience to deal with irate customers in a calm and rational way, even if they are in the wrong? Do you have the patience to train and work with your employees and then not lose your cool when they call in sick at the last minute or, even worse, not show up at all? If you really intend to go into business, you better have the patience for all this and much more.
2. Persistence - One of the most important qualities you must have to grow a successful business is persistence. Persistence is what pushes you to do everything required, whether you want to or not. Persistence is also what sees you through the tough times when you are just starting out. There will be many times when you first start out when you will question whether opening a business was the right thing to do. Persistence will be one of the keys to getting through these times.
3. Decisiveness - As the owner of your own business, you will constantly be forced to make decisions. These decisions will be large and small and could mean as little as who you eat lunch with to something as large as where to locate your operation. Your success will depend on your ability to make these and countless many more decisions. You will be rewarded for making correct decisions, but make too many wrong ones and you will be out of business completely.
4. Self-Starter - Are you the kind of person who has a burning desire to get up in the morning (or the middle of the night) and get something done? Would others describe you as an energetic self-starter or would they be likely to think of you as more of a follower of the plans of others? If you do not have the ability to motivate yourself into action, then perhaps, starting a business is not for you. No one but you and your family will care if you fail, thus, no one will be there to urge you to do the many things you will need to do.
5. Works Well With Others - This might sound like what a kindergarten teacher writes on a report card but this may be the most important of the qualities listed here. Most businesses expose you to a wide variety of people and many will have personalities that will rub you the wrong way. Others will do their best to cheat you out of something. Still others will lie or be downright hostile. None of these make any difference; you will need to do your best to work well with them all. It is easy to work with someone you like, but it is the ability to work with the ones you do not like that might just make your operation a success.
Starting and running your own business takes many skills like marketing and accounting, but often it is the qualities which are inherent in you that make the difference between success and failure. The good news here is even if you are lacking any of these qualities, you can learn them if you have a sincere desire to do so and are willing to put forth the effort it will take.
1. Patience - Starting a business is the often the easy part, making it profitable can take a long time. Do you have the patience it takes to work long hours, often for little or no money, until your business can support you? Do you have the patience to deal with irate customers in a calm and rational way, even if they are in the wrong? Do you have the patience to train and work with your employees and then not lose your cool when they call in sick at the last minute or, even worse, not show up at all? If you really intend to go into business, you better have the patience for all this and much more.
2. Persistence - One of the most important qualities you must have to grow a successful business is persistence. Persistence is what pushes you to do everything required, whether you want to or not. Persistence is also what sees you through the tough times when you are just starting out. There will be many times when you first start out when you will question whether opening a business was the right thing to do. Persistence will be one of the keys to getting through these times.
3. Decisiveness - As the owner of your own business, you will constantly be forced to make decisions. These decisions will be large and small and could mean as little as who you eat lunch with to something as large as where to locate your operation. Your success will depend on your ability to make these and countless many more decisions. You will be rewarded for making correct decisions, but make too many wrong ones and you will be out of business completely.
4. Self-Starter - Are you the kind of person who has a burning desire to get up in the morning (or the middle of the night) and get something done? Would others describe you as an energetic self-starter or would they be likely to think of you as more of a follower of the plans of others? If you do not have the ability to motivate yourself into action, then perhaps, starting a business is not for you. No one but you and your family will care if you fail, thus, no one will be there to urge you to do the many things you will need to do.
5. Works Well With Others - This might sound like what a kindergarten teacher writes on a report card but this may be the most important of the qualities listed here. Most businesses expose you to a wide variety of people and many will have personalities that will rub you the wrong way. Others will do their best to cheat you out of something. Still others will lie or be downright hostile. None of these make any difference; you will need to do your best to work well with them all. It is easy to work with someone you like, but it is the ability to work with the ones you do not like that might just make your operation a success.
Starting and running your own business takes many skills like marketing and accounting, but often it is the qualities which are inherent in you that make the difference between success and failure. The good news here is even if you are lacking any of these qualities, you can learn them if you have a sincere desire to do so and are willing to put forth the effort it will take.