Entrepreneur Success Factors

By Audrey Seymour

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Here is a partial list to begin your assessment:

1. Vision - ability to see and articulate the long term picture.
   
   
2. Passion - choosing work that inspires you so that it will bring out the best in you -- and so that you will inspire others to do business with you.
   
   
3. Communications skills - an ability to express your ideas clearly and fervently will inspire others to work effectively on your behalf.
   
   
4. Relationship skills - the capacity to build and sustain long-term collaborative business relationships with others is what will bring your work to fruition.
   
   
5. Initiative -ability to work well alone is a key quality because there is no supervisor to motivate you and structure your time.
   
   
6. Focus - keeping your eyes on your vision and priorities in the midst of risk, stress and distractions.
   
   
7. Persistence and discipline - staying committed to the course without immediate or constant reward.
   
   
8. Adaptability - changing course as needed under changing circumstances.
   
   
9. Time management skills - knowing what to focus on in the absence of external accountability.
   
   
10. Strategic and tactical thinking - managing daily operations and planning for growth while delivering your services and/or products.
    
    
11. Love of variety - to insure that you will have the capacity to take on all the different roles needed to meet your business goals.
    
    
12. Financial resilience - capacity to ride out the inevitable ups and downs while building your business.
    
    
13. Vibrant health and energy - to keep driving the course of your business, which requires the discipline for Self-care and life balance that will allow you to sustain your energy over many years.
    
    
14. Domain knowledge - to keep you current with expertise in your chosen area(s).
    
    

Reflect on your level of confidence and strength in each area. Add any other entrepreneurial qualities that come to mind. Choose a measurement system that works for you, such as plus/minus or a scale of 1-5.

Then, what patterns do you see? What strengths could you be using more often and which weaker areas need support or training? For example, if organizing the flow of daily operations is not your strong point, hire an assistant. If you're not a strategic thinker and just want to focus on serving clients, find a partner who loves planning for the long term.

Also consider what knowledge and skills you might need to develop. For example, if you have trouble staying motivated, find a colleague for weekly check-ins or hire a personal coach. If you get distracted easily, consider taking a time management course. If you want to become a better public speaker, join a Speaking Circle® or Toastmasters group.

In this way your capacity will grow to meet the demands of your vision.

© 2005-2010 Audrey Seymour. All rights reserved.

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