What does it take to be successful in business? Ambition, personal drive, motivation, desire and perseverance are the forerunners. Without these, all the skills and experience in the world won’t enable you to succeed. However, combine those with your personal skills and experience, and you’ll have what it takes. Take into account the following:

Are you ambitious, constantly striving for more fulfillment in life? Are you not fully satisfied until you’ve done your absolute best? Then being an entrepreneur might be for you. There are no limitations. The more you put into the business, the more you’ll get out of it. You control your paycheck. Only you can determine what follows that dollar sign on your tax return each year.

Are you a self-starter? You alone are the one who will make this business a success or failure. The amount of time and energy you invest will determine just how successful you are with your business. Are you motivated enough to make things happen? In the beginning stages, a business will require a tremendous amount of hard work and long hours, often without immediate results. You need to be willing to invest that time and await the results with confidence.

Are you creative? Can you think of a new idea and within days make it a reality? What a joy it is to tap that inner imagination and create a new idea for your business. Whether it’s an effective advertising piece or a dazzling brochure for your clients, you have the power to make it work.

You should be self-motivated and enjoy working with others. Many of you will come from a 9-5 job and the general tendency is to cut loose with the extra freedom. No Boss-No Time Restraints-What fun! You have to discipline yourself right from the beginning not to get sidetracked watching soaps and sleeping in. After you are established, your workload won’t permit this anyway.

Working with different clients is a part of owning your own business. Remember, a satisfied client will tell other potential clients about your services. You need to possess the ability to make your clients feel confident and secure in your services and comfortable working with you.

You can’t fold under pressure. Owning your own business can be extremely stressful at times. There are no bosses to run to or co-workers to seek advice from. Computers will break, printers will jam, clients will become too demanding and you must know how to handle the situation and stay calm. NEVER PANIC! Learn to take a deep breath, regain your composure and then solve the problem.

You should be organized and have a good understanding of the business you are going into. Many companies fail because they didn’t do their homework. Read as much as you can on home-based businesses before you get started. Research your area to determine the customers’ needs and the amount of competition.

You need to be able to say NO! Clients will take advantage of you if you don’t. You have to remain in control or you will find yourself working outrageous hours for little profit. Decide what hours you want to work and stick to that schedule.

You should have a good understanding of the English language. If you need to brush up a bit, do so before you start your business. By no means do you need to know it all, but you definitely need to know the basics. There are plenty of resource books available, so be sure to add a couple to your home office arsenal..

Owning your own business can be an exciting and rewarding adventure. There is a tremendous feeling of accomplishment when you land your first client or continually get referrals. The mere fact that you are the owner of a business sometimes is enough.

Want help?  We’d love to talk.  Contact me at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com or (954) 971-4025 and let’s talk about how I can help you succeed in your business. Whether you need a coach or more … I’m here for you!