business

If you have ever watched a gifted athlete, skilled musician or charismatic business person at work, it’s easy to think he or she was born with his or her inherent talents.

By Alison Stanton

You might wonder if only those with natural skills will succeed, or if it’s possible to learn along the way and teach yourself how to be an incredible business owner.

Fortunately, in the world of business, the answer seems to be a resounding “YES!” While there are some natural skills that some successful entrepreneurs possess through no effort of their own, there are plenty of ways to develop and learn the skills if they don’t come naturally.

For example, please consider the following skills and traits all entrepreneurs should have—and can definitely learn:

Ambition

While some people are willing to give up as soon as things get challenging, successful entrepreneurs naturally keep on going. Many entrepreneurs instinctively understand that small milestones are just as important as large goals because they add up quickly. Also, instead of looking for shortcuts and the easy way out, entrepreneurs who were born with this trait will not think twice about putting in the long hours to get their company up and running. If ambition is not your strong suit, you can certainly train yourself to be more persistent. Set goals for yourself—not only related to your business but also around your home and health—and then create smaller mini-milestones to work toward along the way. For instance, when opening your business, focus on creating your business plan one week, securing financing the next and then set a date to have secured an office rental space. At home, if your garage is full of boxes, devote 20 minutes a day to going through things with the goal of parking your car in one half of the space after 3 weeks. Look back at these times as evidence that you are an ambitious person and have learned how to reach your goals.

Confidence

If you have ever watched a successful entrepreneur in action, you might feel like he or she is the most confident person you have ever seen. Granted, some entrepreneurs are blessed with a solid sense of self-confidence—which includes the ability to speak with others and assert oneself when need be—but you can also learn this trait. For instance, before launching your own business, you might consider working on your confidence by becoming a direct seller for an established company such as Amway. Amway offers training and support to their partners who work as Independent Business Owners. As you sell their products to others, you will get great practice communicating and being more assertive. Then, as the sales start to flow in your confidence level will naturally rise. You may have heard that Amway is a scam but those rumors have been proven false. When it comes to any side gig opportunities, do your research to fully understand the work before signing up.

No Fear of Failure

Many now-successful entrepreneurs are quite familiar with what it feels like to fail. Their first or second company may have flopped, but now they run a thriving business. To help them through these difficult times, many business owners have learned to embrace failure as a teaching moment, rather than proof that they should throw in the towel. If you are inclined to always make the safe decision in life, challenge yourself to take some risks now and then and try new things. If this leads to success, great—but if not, look at what you did and try to learn from your failures, so you will not do them again.

You’ve Got What it Takes

Regardless of whether you feel you were born with all of the traits necessary to be a successful business owner, or you are lacking in a few key areas, no worries at all. You can definitely learn along the way and teach yourself how to be ambitious, boost your confidence and not be afraid to fail now and then.

Alison Stanton has been a freelance writer for the past 18 years. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Alison thoroughly enjoys writing about a wide variety of people and topics. When she is not writing, Alison can be found hanging out with her family—which includes three wonderful rescue dogs—and sipping a caffeinated beverage from Starbucks.

Business owner stock photo by Peshkova/Shutterstock