Entrepreneurship is not as easy as people think. In recent times, most people are learning to be independent and build their personal brand, becoming bosses of their own, all those stuff. But the majority don’t sit to think about steps to take to achieve such goals.
Everybody wants to be successful, but no one is willing to put in the work. In order to succeed in entrepreneurship, you need to come to terms with the fact that no one is interested in what you have to offer, and there are a lot of calculated risks to be taken, once you’ve accepted this reality, it’ll be easy working your way in the line of success.
In this article, I’ll share the 12 steps needed to succeed as an entrepreneur. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still working my way up 😂, and learning each day. Before discussing the strategies, let’s first understand who an entrepreneur is?
Who is an Entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is an innovative individual, that is not afraid of trying out new ideas and taking a calculated risk to grow his business.
Having defined who an entrepreneur is in the simplest form, here are the 12 strategies for succeeding as an entrepreneur
12 Steps To Succeed As An Entrepreneur in 2020
1. Always write down your ideas
At this point in your life, it is important you always work with a pen and a small notebook, you might say it’s not important, but most breakthroughs occur when we least expect and you may not remember every detail if you don’t pen down your ideas.
2. Look for a mentor in a related field
The best way to see far in life is by standing on the shoulders of those who have walked before us (Albert Einstein). Get a mentor to coach you through your path as an entrepreneur. The best and easiest way to get a mentor is by reading books of successful entrepreneurs such as Garry V, Robert Kawasaki, John C Maxwell, etc. As little as reading or watching documentaries on the lives of successful entrepreneurs will help more than you can imagine.
3. Offer free services (when starting) to test run ideas
Look for someone or a group of people, then volunteer your goods or services for free. This will assist you to get feedback from your target customers and also free advert from the purchasers to whom you offered services.
4. Learn to Tell your story
You may have a story to back your ideas, but if you don’t learn how to put it compellingly so that it appeases your audience or potential investors, then no one will be interested in what you are offering.
5. Be more outspoken
This strategy is similar to telling your story. You cannot claim to be an entrepreneur and still be scared to express yourself and your ideas. Think of it in this manner, if you can’t speak out, how will you convince people to shop for what you’ve got to offer? Don’t be afraid to ask questions and express yourself publicly.
6. SMART approach
Always apply the SMART approach to everything
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timely
7. Stay up-to-date with your skills and personal development
Read books attend seminars, watch videos online on personal development. Take online courses.
8. Develop leadership skills
Entrepreneurs are leaders in their respective fields, develop your leadership skills by reading books on leadership (John C Maxwell).
9. Interpersonal skills
This will help in maintaining a good working relationship with your employees.
10. Don’t wait until everything is perfect
You don’t have to wait until everything is perfect before you launch out. There’s a concept of MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This adopts the practice that specializes in a selected feature of a product, perfecting it, then launching out.
11. What’s the downside?
Whenever the downside is less than the bright side, then it’s the best time to roll out that new product.
12. Catch Trends
The world is already digital, what works today, could be obsolete tomorrow. So you must stay up to date on new trends daily.
Final Words
Constantly applying these strategies to our lives and businesses will give us an edge and help us stand out in the crowd, and it is paramount that we value ourselves and know what we have to offer otherwise no one will be interested in what you are selling. What strategy do you like the most from our list? If you have any suggestions feel free to leave us a comment below and we promise to respond as soon as possible.