Whether you are an entrepreneur or dream of becoming one or whether you prefer to embrace a traditional career, entrepreneurial skills will definitely be instrumental in all aspects of your life. The good news is that many of these skills can be acquired and cultivated.
Not everyone is made to be an entrepreneur. For instance, many persons are a lot happier with the security brought by a traditional career. Others do not necessarily have the means to take financial risks.
But in all cases, entrepreneurial skills are essential to succeed in life. They can literally improve every aspect of it: at work and in the private sphere, hence the importance of knowing them to be able to cultivate them.
What are entrepreneurial skills?
Proactivity
Entrepreneurial qualities abound but if we had to pick just one, it would be proactivity. Being proactive means not waiting for someone to tell you to start or do something. It is about taking initiatives, it is the capacity to act and not react. It is about wondering what you can do if a situation is not to your liking and taking action.
Why is this quality likely to change your entire life?
This is a state of mind that can change all aspects of your life. It could be very small things, such as taking the initiative to organize a party at your place if you miss your friends, registering in a salsa class if you are bored, or initiating contact with a friend you lost sight of instead of waiting for them to make the first move!
Risk-taking
Another entrepreneurial quality is the capacity to make decisions fast and without necessarily having all the information. It is the capacity to act by taking risks. Therefore, it is very important not to fear failure. Consider failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. The biggest inventions sprang from repeated attempts and trials. It is the lessons learnt during this process that will help you make decisions faster, by measuring out the risk/ benefit cost.
Why is this quality likely to change your entire life?
More often than not, incredible opportunities await you when you are bold enough to leave your comfort zone. It is all about daring: daring to talk to that person you like at the risk of getting blown off or daring to ask for a raise if you work in a company. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Perseverance
Being an entrepreneur is far from being as glamorous as one can think! The difference will often be made by the one who knows how not to quit and work hard, even and especially when obstacles arise.
Why is this quality likely to change your entire life?
Not quitting easily allows you to get where you want to! This would mean, for example, if you fail to understand a math problem, to keep trying to understand it, look for help if necessary until you succeed and get a good grade. This could help you become a doctor or simply finish assembling that piece of furniture you have just bough.
Resourcefulness
Another quality which is peculiar to the entrepreneur is knowing how to do big things with little means. Resourcefulness is the mother of creativity and innovation!
Why is this quality likely to change your entire life?
Whether you are going camping, are lost in a foreign country or throwing a last-minute impromptu diner for your friends, resourcefulness will get you out of many troubles and enable you to find original solutions to all sorts of problems.
The desire to learn
The entrepreneur is someone who is curious, always willing to learn and especially not afraid to roll his sleeves up and get the job done in all circumstances. For instance, he should be interested both in the financial and legal aspects of the project, in addition to sales, logistics… No need to be an expert but one should at least know how these things work.
Why is this quality likely to change your entire life?
Warren Buffet spent 80% of his time reading. Bill Gates used to read one book a week: Reading means learning new things. Acquiring competencies makes you stronger and increases your chances to find a job and do what you want because almost everything can be learnt nowadays. Ask yourself what you are lacking to do what you want and learn it. These days, you may find almost anything online in specialized magazines, tutorials on Youtube or classes such as udemy.com.
How can one develop these qualities?
Some of these qualities are more marked in some persons who have a natural tendency to take risks and initiatives and be curious. Yet, all these qualities can be cultivated… Having said this, being an entrepreneur is also and mainly a state of mind, a way of approaching life and adversity. It is a way of seeing potential opportunities for creation in every problem. Here are a few tools to develop this state of mind:
Try!
Try to breathe life into a project, whatever it may be. It does not need to be a startup. Find a problem that is dear to your heart, a need and try to solve it. It can start with the creation of a reading club in your university or the organization of an event. At the very worst, it won’t work and you would have learnt more than during any university class.
Perform an internship in a startup
Startups are always on the look-out for interns and you will learn greatly by working with them. They will assign you concrete tasks and send you directly to the field. This is the best way to become versatile!
Join the ecosystem
Start by participating in competitions that are organized throughout the year by Lebanese incubators and accelerators. When it comes to social media, follow communities of entrepreneurs such as Berytech, Smart Esa, UK Tech Hub, BDD, Makesense…
Join clubs of entrepreneurs
Universities are increasingly having their own entrepreneurs’ clubs. If yours doesn’t have its own, why not create it?
Sources: Naila Saba, Project Manager, Nawaya Network and coach, Jihad Bitar, Acceleration Program Director, Smart Esa, Labneh&Facts
