Personality Traits of Successful Business Owners:
Passion
Passion is absolutely vital to growing a successful business, and becoming a successful entrepreneur. Being passionate about your business’ growth, and your line of work are keys to success. When you are passionate about what you do and about making your business a success, it shows through your work. If you are passionate about something, you are much more likely to see it through and do whatever it takes to make it work. Being passionate about your business is your first step to helping it thrive.
Vision
Having a vision about where you want your business to go is something you cannot go without. Your vision is what will help you define and execute your goals. Knowing what you want to see from your business and how you want to be as a business owner, all fall under the umbrella of your vision. Focus on your goals and what needs to be done. Follow your vision, and it will be hard to not succeed!
Confidence
Having belief in yourself and being confident is an internal tool that will show on the outside. Confidence helps with being personable and taking risks, which we all know are necessities when it comes to running a business. Not only that, but you have to believe in yourself if you want to get anywhere with your business. This is likely one of the hardest things for people to work on, because it rarely comes naturally and is always fluctuating. Don’t get down about your losses or mistakes- those are bound to happen and common in a business (or life) setting. Instead, focus on what you do right and how far you’ve come. Let your confidence show through your work.
Flexibility/Adaptability
As a business owner, you know how important it is to be flexible. Your customers’ schedules won’t always be the same and they won’t always work with yours. Employees will have needs and issues of their own, and you’ll have to work with that as well. As a business owner, you know that you have to roll with the punches. The ability to be flexible and work things out quickly and efficiently will really help you in your journey to success.
Fearlessness
Ok, we don’t literally mean fearless. You’re a human, so of course you have a fear of spiders! However, in a business aspect, fearlessness is just what you need to be able to take the necessary risks that come with starting and running a business. From taking chances on the employees you hire, to trusting yourself enough to quit your 9 to 5 and start your own business, being fearless is huge. Don’t be afraid to take risks, because that is what a small business needs. Trust yourself and your knowledge enough to know which risks are worth taking, and which risks are a little too… risky.
Personable
Being outgoing and personable go hand-in-hand. Whether it’s networking for your business and getting to know people to get your name out there, or working with a customer, personality is everything. You have to be able to joke around with people, while being warm and friendly. In order to sell your business, you have to sell yourself. That means that if you are cold or hard to talk to, a customer will likely not want to work with you. That type of communication would be detrimental to networking and selling as well. This is another one that doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it’s worth the work to achieve this trait.
Tenacity
Being able to accept small failures and move on will really come in handy when you own a business. As I’m sure most small business owners already know, there is a learning curve. Failures here and there are not uncommon, but it’s important to accept it and move on. Don’t let yourself get caught up in what went wrong, and definitely don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept that you have learned what doesn’t work, and now you can focus on what does work. The most important thing here is that you are constantly growing toward the greater goal.
Determination
Since you’ve likely already started your business, it’s quite possible you already know how determined you are and how much it takes to get a business up and running. This isn’t typically an area that entrepreneurs are lacking. Determination is crucial to keeping your business afloat, but you already know that… you started a business!
Whether you already see yourself with these traits or not, it doesn’t matter. Now is as good of a time as any to get started on making sure you, personally, are well-rounded and ready to take on running your business. Focus on what is important and allow yourself room for mistakes (otherwise known as growth). Don’t lose sight of your vision… no pun intended!
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!