“Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.” – Bernard Berenson
Entrepreneurship is about resiliency. Successful entrepreneurs know that in any business there will always be changes in the tides. Part of an entrepreneur’s effective strategy is to recognize the changes happening around him or her, know how to work through those changes, and always remain open to new ideas that could ultimately help them succeed. Focusing on consistent, traditional ways of doing business will eventually stunt your business growth. So if you’re an entrepreneur looking to freshen up your mindset, polish your business agility skills, or you’re simply considering to join the entrepreneurs’ game, here’s a few tips on how you can continue to improve your entrepreneurial skills.
Professional Development
Knowledge is power. Always stay in the mindset of learning, no matter what business you’re in. Research what’s currently “hot” in your field and what’s not anymore. What is not hot can be just as informative as what is as you delve into why that trend stagnated and died. Continuous learning will assure that you are up to speed with all the changes happening you, and more importantly, it will prepare you to anticipate what is to come. So just when you think you have learned everything, push yourself and continue to do your research. Professional development will undoubtedly help you set yourself apart from your competition. Don’t know where to start? Pick up a book, attend a conference, talk to friends, watch a video, and, most importantly, pay attention.
Service is Everything
Take your time to know your clients and cultivate integrity in your communication with them. A thriving business is a business that pays less attention to what they think is correct and more attention to what their customers have to say. Fostering healthy and personal relationships will you lead you to happy customers. And happy customers usually lead to great references. And great references lead to – well, you get the point. Always think in terms of serving.
Try this exercise. What does your perfect customer look like? How will you incentivize that person to go to you and stay with you through thick or thin? Then, think of your nightmare customer. How will you help them come to terms with an unpleasant experience and how will you handle the situation? Also, how will you handle the negative feedback that this person will, undoubtedly, post?
Beat the Fear
Great leaders dare to be different. They are courageous enough to make decisions that nobody else can bear to make. No one said that choosing courage over fear will be easy. On the contrary, it will be quite difficult and sometimes you may even fail by doing so. But in the end you will learn and grow from your mistakes, you will feel empowered by venturing into the unknown, and you will live by the mantra of every entrepreneur – the sky’s the limit.
Are you afraid that your bold decision might be just a bit to rash? Test it out, bounce the idea around, and listen closely to all the critics and keep an OPEN MIND. Still confident? Then, best of luck in your endeavors!
Learn from the Professionals
Developing your entrepreneurial skills is not simply the practice, but the act of educating yourself on the trade of the business. During your leisure time, read books on businesses, entrepreneurship autobiographies, and current event news. In addition, talk to current or former CEOs or business leaders and try and pick their brains. Like I have previously said, you need to be in a constant state of learning. You cannot simply generalize an experience based on what you have already done or already succeeded. There is always room for improvement. Remember, only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. Make sure you spend the necessary time to learn your foundation so that you can create your success.
Mistakes are inevitable, but the severity of those mistakes and the frequency of those mistakes can decrease with knowledge of best practice and the pitfalls of your sector. Best of luck and skills to all of you!