Maybe you have just discovered a niche in the market that makes your business successful or maybe not. The difference between these two results of your efforts lies in two very essential qualities without which it simply cannot be done. What are they? These characteristics were described on the Small Business Expert website by the entrepreneur and founder of his own five successful American IT companies Mike Kappel. It is based on his own experiences.
Passion
Vision is indeed a great thing and definitely has its rightful place in every strategic plan, but a prerequisite for a successful business is clearly a passion for business. Sure, entrepreneurs are passionate people who very likely fully develop their hobbies in their free time. Passion for the business will even teach something else. It makes you get out of your comfort zone and try different roles or abilities which you do not like that much. If you do not like presentations, writing or handling the financial side of the company, your enthusiasm for the idea should be much stronger. Sure, over time you will definitely find some people to do work you do not enjoy because you have overcome your resistance thanks to your passion.
Maybe you are not so excited about the product you offer clients, but about the very idea of your business. Do not worry, it is not wrong. Everything is related to everything, and if you feel a deep conviction that you are the right person in the right place, then the product setting and satisfying customer needs will reflect your intentions. Sure, this sounds like a cliché, but if every entrepreneur "suffered" a real passion for the thing he does, there would not be so many business ideas going to waste. Real passion will not deter you because of possible complications, but rather force you to look for possible alternatives and adapt your plans to changing conditions. And ... clients always see your true passion.
Do you make decisions about your business or want to find out whether you have a real passion for what you do? Try a little self-recognition test: How much of your free time you spend by searching for potential opportunities or collecting information about a specific area? How often do you do your own development in the area in which you are moving, or you are interested in? And finally: Matches the area you are interested in with the area to where you are currently moving?
Communication skills
A basic fact is that the so-called "hard" skills are often not enough for success. When asking someone to be a partner on your dream project, ask someone who is better than you are in "soft" skills, of course. However, there are two sides in a successful business: you as the provider and then others, not only customers, but all stakeholders with whom you come into contact.
You do not have to act as a moderator or a television star, but playing possum and dealing with all matters only through your work email is not appropriate either. It is said that battles are won at the table, and the business ones definitely are, and thus it is necessary to have certain communication skills.
Try asking yourself or, ideally, even people who know you well, about your communication skills. Are you able to comment on the matter? Do other people listen to you? And what about your writing, is it good? Maybe you secretly admire people who can write a seamlessly coherent newsletter, a brilliant sales letter or perhaps an article on an internet server. But they had to practice these skills and also improve with practice. Can you do it too?
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