When starting out in business or simply to trying to gain a competitive advantage, all entrepreneurs benefit from learning general business management know-how.
“You never lose in business, either you win or you learn.”
– Melinda Emerson, business coach and founder of The SmallBizLady and Smallbizchat
All entrepreneurs start in business expecting to succeed, and many do. Many fail to succeed the first time, but they keep going and following their passions anyway. What all successful entrepreneurs are good at is lifelong learning.
Gaining a business qualification is a smart way to consolidate your knowledge so you can be across your business operations while growing and achieving your dreams. Look for a qualification that gives you the essential business knowledge outlined below.
“As entrepreneurs, we must continue to ask ourselves, ‘What’s next?’ It takes humility to realise that we don’t know everything, not to rest on our laurels and know that we must keep learning and observing.”
– Cher Wang, cofounder and chairman HTC Corp.
An entrepreneur in business will work longer hours far beyond the 9 to 5 reality of employees. However, it is important to know how to be smart with time management so that you don’t burn out or get into a cycle of being busy but unproductive.
Learn how to spot your domino priorities (the ones that topple many actions at once). Easily identify which actions will get you to your results faster and which ones will have you spinning your wheels. Time is the only resource you have that is finite, so learn how to use it effectively.
Your choices in professional development will be influenced by your existing skillset and values. As well as learning leadership and communications skills, you may also like to join networking groups such as Rotary or Chamber of Commerce. A business management course will assist to make good choices about where to invest your networking time.
The main area of staff management you will want to influence as an entrepreneur is recruitment. The quality and skill set of the people around you are vital to success. Learn how to choose the best candidates and how to do a thorough induction process to ensure they work like part of the team from the beginning.
Eventually, an entrepreneur will need to build a team to carry out their business vision. Team meetings can be effective, or they can be a waste of time. You want to learn how to lead an effective meeting that people will want to attend, and from which they will leave motivated and inspired. You will also need to have meetings with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, and you will want to create a great impression at every meeting opportunity.
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
– Steve Jobs
A general understanding of the various documents used daily in business is important. You can acccess a form designer via third-party resource like Freelancer and Upwork to do the design of your documents. However you need to explain what you want and need, to get the result you want.
Entrepreneurs are not afraid to take risks, yet it is wise to know how to conduct a robust risk assessment that takes a big picture view of a goal or opportunity. A seasoned business person will brainstorm scenarios that might involve less risk with more return.
Basic project management skills are vital to an entrepreneur. Planning, budgeting, measuring, delegating and managing are elements that need to be done thoroughly and mindfully for a project to be successful. Working towards established milestones will focus your thinking and your daily actions as you strive towards completing a project, or many projects at once.
“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
– Jim Rohn
These are the basic business management skills that a committed entrepreneur needs to fast-track the road to building a successful empire. You can learn ‘on the job’ and make many mistakes on the way, or you can seize the opportunity of doing an online Diploma of Business (Leadership) (BSB50120) and get ahead quicker.
