Some people are just ‘born’ entrepreneurs and others have a little learning to do, either way there are a few key defining characteristics for every successful start up founder…how many boxes do you tick?!
Enjoy Your Work. This is HUGELY important; if you don’t like what you’re doing then no-one else is likely to either. Passion and excitement are contagious, especially in a business setting where ideas are the fuel that keeps the fire burning. And if the fire burns out, your business will too.
Believe In Yourself. So what if you work from a dusty old office desk in your Moms basement? If you don’t need a flashy office in Silicon Valley then why on earth would you pine for one?(pine…wood…desk, get it?!) Stop the wishful thinking about where you could be and start thinking about where you are right now. Of course it’s important to look forward to a brighter future, but don’t undersell yourself in the process; you’re already successful just by being on the road to where you want to be.
Learn to Budget. Many people recoil in fear at the prospect of budgeting, but it’s really not very difficult. Sign up for an account with a service like Mint and you’ll be sorted in no time. It’s really very simple, you just need to track your incomings against your outgoings and make sure you don’t go bust. Easy peasy! (Just don’t go bust.)
Be a Salesperson. You might think ‘oh but I’m not a sales person’, you’re wrong. If you’re selling a product, you’re in sales. From your marketing style to a bit of shameless self promotion, it’s all in the name of a good cause – your bank balance.
Get To Know Your Customers. This is where you have the upper hand on your bigger competitors. You can actually develop a proper personal relationship with your customers, in a way that larger corporations just can’t. When Betty down the road makes an order and tells you that her son is dying with the flu, why not make a note to ask how he is the next time you speak with her? All of these little things add up to a huge amount of customer loyalty, which is massively important in the start up stage of any business.
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