If you’re considering starting your own business there are many questions to ask yourself. Of all those questions, “What do I need to become successful?” is one of the most common and perhaps the most important. We’re going to look at the common characteristics – on a personal and business level – that apply to successful startup businesses.
1. You have a dream
One of the key characteristics is within yourself:
- Are you someone that has a dream, an ambition or an idea that you want to make into a reality?
- Do you have a concept for a service or product that you feel is either different to or far better than what is currently available?
- Do you also want to be successful, world-conquering in your own way?
- Do you want to live the dream and are happy to put in the hard graft to achieve it?
2. You’re willing to take risks
The most successful entrepreneurs have the mindset to take a chance. They are confident in what they are doing and truly believe that they will succeed, no matter what obstacles may be put in the way. Having this attitude allows them to take the risks needed to build a thriving startup.
3. You ask for and take advice
One of the most important characteristics for a successful startup owner is:
- the ability to learn from others
- to not be afraid to ask for advice
- act on what you learn.
When starting out, taking advantage of some sort of business mentoring can teach you a lot. This is where you can learn from someone who has already achieved some or all of what you want for your own company, while learning from their mistakes and avoiding the pitfalls they experienced along the way. Similarly, networking with experienced entrepreneurs can provide a great deal of insight that can help you with your own business development – as long as you are willing to use it.
4. You’re a great communicator
Having good communications skills are very important – whether the communications are with existing customers, warm leads, other businesses or even current work colleagues. While we all have natural strengths and weaknesses, this is one that’s definitely worth working on.
5. You have a flexible mindset
We can all get something stuck in our heads, become very determined on a topic and set our focus on a particular goal with laser-like precision. Being highly driven is a very good thing for a brand-new start-up entrepreneur. However, to truly succeed you also need to have a flexible mindset that allows you to change course when the evidence shows that your current path isn’t working out as you hoped. Being flexible and adaptable also lets you make the most of any new or surprising opportunities when they appear along your path.
