3 Skills Every Entrepreneur Needs


Whether you are already in business or you are looking to set up your first solo business venture, it’s important that you have the skills required for success. You might have the confidence you need to push your ideas forward and the money you need to get things in motion but if you don’t have a few simple skills, you won’t get very far. The good news, however, is that all skills can be learnt. If you are willing to treat your business venture as a chance to learn something new and you understand that you don’t know everything about business, you will do well. So which skills should you prioritize in the first place?

Procurement
Whether you are looking into buying a new machine to speed up your production line or you are after a new member of staff to inject something different into your business, you must have an eye for finding what you want. Procurement skills capability development is a good place to start as this will give you practical advice as well as the latest tools to help with decision making. No matter how big or small your business is, you must have a clear understanding of what is necessary to meet your targets. For a solo entrepreneur trying to make a living out of writing content, this might be as simple as a seat on the sofa and a laptop. For most business, procurement is far more complex, so take your time weighing your options. 

Networking
Lots of people hate networking because it feels false and forced. And yet, lots of business people shine at networking events because they buck the trend and offer an honest and friendly approach to networking. Instead of trying to push a business agenda, they approach a networking event as they might a friend’s party - they make connections on a personal level before introducing business. Networking is an important skill for an entrepreneur because the more people you know, the more opportunities you create for your business. You don’t have to be selling all the time, just make it known who you are and what your business provides. Leave a card or send a ‘nice to meet you’ email and see who bites. Adapt networking to make it work for you.

Management
You might be great at knowing what you need to do to get to the next step but when you start taking on staff, you will need to up your game. The best managers are the people you never see ‘managing’ things. They just naturally and confidently assert themselves, delegate jobs and then trust their staff to do their jobs. They know what their employees need from them. To be a good manager when you’re busy trying to run your business is hard but hiring the right people really helps. Put together a team you know will complement each other and then see who shines. Allow everyone to dabble in things outside the remit of their current role to see which other skills they may bring to the table. Your role here is to encourage and promote and that’s what will make your business great.