10 Skills Successful Entrepreneurs Share

By George Meszaros

What are the real reasons entrepreneurs succeed?

Some entrepreneurs make it look easy. They start a business and succeed. Others start a business and fail. Then, start another business and fail again.

What do those entrepreneurs have who succeed? 

Here is a list of some of the most important reasons entrepreneurs succeed:

Improve things.

Find opportunities to do things better. What are others out there doing? How can you improve it? There is always ways to change the way things are done. Great entrepreneurs capitalize on those gaps.

Some of the most successful businesses have improved on what is on the market.

Here are a few examples of companies improving products:

• Tesla – They didn’t make the first electric car, but they made them cool.
• Facebook – It wasn’t the first social network, but they created the experience most people want.
• Apple – Apple  didn’t create the first smartphone, but it made it easy to use.
• Google – There were many search engines before Google, but none of them had as accurate search results.

Here are ways to improve any product:

• Ask your customers, if you want to improve one of your own products. If you want to improve another product, ask customers who use that product. Your job here is to listen, not to get people to agree with you.
• Compare competing products.
• Read customer product reviews.
• Ask your employees.
• Ask industry experts and influencers.
• Look for possibilities to improve. Analyze technical and social developments and think how they can help you improve your product.

Be comfortable with risk.

If you want high returns and big success, you have to be prepared for heavy losses and failure. Risk and reward go hand in hand in the world of entrepreneurship.

You can never completely eliminate risk, but there are ways to minimize it. Check out our article “How to Start a Business With Minimal Risk“.

Accept responsibility.

Be responsible to your customers, employees, and vendors. While entrepreneurship can be a cutthroat business, what goes around, comes around. If you damage your relationships, it will come back to haunt you.

Get beyond ideas.

Vision and big ideas aren’t enough. One reason entrepreneurs succeed is that they have an outlined plan for success. Though you can make decisions as they come, you need a plan to direct your business in the short-term and long-term. Decisions should be executed according to this plan.

Stay nimble.

Adapt and make changes as you go. It doesn’t make sense to stick to a plan that isn’t working. Learn from your mistakes and make adjustments to direct the company to the best outcome.

Find mentors.

Learn from others who have gone before you. Join a mastermind group or find individual mentors to learn from their successes and mistakes.

You can’t succeed on passion alone.

Having a passion is not enough. Run the numbers to ensure your business goals match your dreams. If the numbers don’t make sense, you’ll have to redefine your plan.

Live by your mission.

Every employee needs to understand the mission and goals of the company. Make sure everyone is on board and knows how to be part of the culture.

Don’t complain.

One of the reasons entrepreneurs succeed is that they stick out the tough times. Complaining doesn’t solve problems – actions do. In tough times, learn to be resilient.

Find a balance.

You will have to sacrifice, but success isn’t all about income. There are plenty of ways to become a financially successful loser. Don’t lose your friends and family on your way to the top.