Being an entrepreneur is a mix of success, failures, and regrets. However, all of these are part of being a successful entrepreneur. For the youngbloods out there, here are five things I wish I knew before becoming an entrepreneur.
Trust Your Gut
Sometimes, there are things outside of your pool of knowledge. Your idea for a product may be unconventional or outside of the norm. Trust your gut when it tells you that it has a shot to become the next big thing.
Remember that the biggest companies today started off as a crazy idea in the minds of its creators. Of course, a crazy idea produces a handful of doubtful audiences. They may not like your idea. Back your claims and ideas with solid rationale and goals to show them that you are the real deal. The idea here is that you need to believe in yourself. If you let every criticism decide for your business, you’ll be running in circles trying to accommodate them all.
Find A Good Partner
Your business lives and dies with the people managing it. If you aim to be a one-man (or woman) show, you will realize that there will be a lot of gaps in your business. Accept your limitations as a human and find a good partner. Your partner should have skills and knowledge that complement your own. You two should encompass the essential things needed in your business.
It’s easy to assign your bestfriend to manage a part of your business, but friendship does not have the same rigidity as with business partners. If you and your business partner share the same passion and drive for the business, success is surely coming your way.
Work For The Passion
The whole lesson reads: “Work for the passion; not for the money”. I cannot stress this enough for all aspiring entrepreneurs. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, the money talk should come in later in your business.
You may encounter times where your business may not seem to be financially rewarding. The most important tenet behind every successful entrepreneurial venture is the grind. It means that you need to put in the work. If you follow your passion, the money will follow later down the line.
Invest In Yourself
Investing everything in your business may sound good, but do not forget yourself in the process. Some entrepreneurs fail to invest in themselves, leading to higher rates of burnout. You need to invest in the sense that you continuously build on your knowledge and skills.
Try to learn new skills that are valuable to your business. There are a lot of self-help resources out there on the internet. All you need to do is look for the perfect one that matches your needs. If you want your business to constantly grow, you also need to grow alongside it.
Be Flexible
Be ready to fill in the roles that your business needs. You may become the CEO, CMO, CFO, Photographer, Content Creator, or the Tech Person. Do whatever it takes to succeed. There’s always a first time for everything, and you may not be familiar with something. You should be ready to take on roles that you are outside your expertise.
Another idea that branches out is being resourceful. Always remember that everything is not perfect and sometimes things may not go as planned during the last few minutes. Keep your composure up, and believe that disaster could be averted. All problem have their own solutions, you just need to be creative and calm about it.
If you want more advice, read here about the top tips for entrepreneurs from the Sharks of Shark Tank.
Opinions expressed by AsianBlurb contributors are their own.
Zakary Kelley is a technology reporter for Business Blurb covering social media and the digital products that are changing our lives.
