From Red Autónomos we are committed to responsible entrepreneurship, that is, an enterprise encouraged by the administration, but not only as a precarious response to the lack of employment. And these responsible entrepreneurs also start with the entrepreneur who has to ask himself if he is qualified for it.
For those who wonder if they can be good entrepreneurs, we offer these tips:
Don’t Move Just For Money
Within the business world, the term emotional salary is used more and more. It is a concept that refers to the fact that employees are not only moved by money. A company could offer a very high salary to a manager and still not be able to get that person to stay on the staff, because they may be more interested in other things that the competition offers, such as better hours, enjoying the day off on the date your child’s birthday or training to help you develop new skills.
In the case of entrepreneurs, we must also look beyond money. It is clear that if you start a business it is to earn money and be able to live from it, but do not focus only on that. Look for an activity that really fills you and with which you feel that you are contributing something truly useful to others.
In this way, making money is no longer your only objective and you can focus on other important things such as the possibility of innovating within your sector or taking your product or service to people with fewer resources. It is about seeking your own emotional salary.
Value Your Work, Don’t Give It Away
Only you know the true effort and dedication behind each of the products you make or the services you provide, so value it.
It is more than likely that throughout your career you will meet potential clients who want to make sure that you are the professional they are looking for and ask you to provide them with a job for free. This is especially the case in the digital realm. It’s not uncommon for a copywriter to be asked for a free article or a designer to be asked for a basic logo design to see how she works herself.
You may have many years of experience or you may have just arrived on the job market, but you have probably already done some work that you can use to create your own portfolio. That way, if someone asks you for a sample of your work, you can show them what you’ve done for other clients. Under no circumstances do you resign yourself to working for free.
Don’t Give Up, Pursue Your Goal
The undertaking is not easy at all, you are going to find many obstacles along the way that will make you lack strength and discourage you at times. This is totally normal and all entrepreneurs have been through it, but don’t give up.
If there is something good about working on your own, it is that you will develop a lot of resilience, the ability to overcome the negative things that may happen to you. Can’t find financing at your bank? Go to another. Has your partner left you hanging? Pull contacts and find someone who wants to collaborate with you.
Most of the problems that you will encounter on your path as an entrepreneur have a solution, so think about what your goal is and strive to overcome all obstacles.
Anticipate What Is To Come
No matter what sector you are working in, over time there will be changes in it. It can be about new trends in consumers, the appearance of new tools that can make your work easier, etc.
For the entrepreneur, one of the main mistakes he can make is to fall behind. You always have to think about the future and what you are going to do so that your business evolves and continues to grow. It is not easy, but if you keep up to date with your training, attend fairs and events related to your sector and pay attention to what is happening within your professional area, you will be able to anticipate everything that is to come or, at least, you can adapt as soon as possible.
Separate Your Finances From Your Business
It is possible that in time you will need to move your facilities to a larger location, that a client is taking a long time to pay you and you must advance the VAT on his invoice, or that you need to buy new tools for your business. In any of these cases, it will be necessary to have liquidity.
But if you have made the fatal mistake of not separating your personal finances from those of your business, it is possible that when that time comes you will not have the money you need. Then begins a desperate race to try to get external financing.
So that this does not happen to you, do not spend everything that your business generates. Get a salary, the one you consider fair, and always save some money to reinvest it in your company. Thus, if times of economic need come, you will have a small cushion that will allow you to keep your business running.
Be Honest
The business world can be harsh and ruthless, but that doesn’t justify you acting against your ethical convictions. If you don’t usually lie in your daily life, you shouldn’t lie at work either.
Don’t exaggerate your profit prospects to find a good partner, or overestimate the quality of your products or services. If you are not being completely honest, you may now get what you are looking for, but sooner or later others will end up realizing it and you will suffer the consequences.
Become A Leader
There are those who decide to undertake it alone and those who do it with the help of a team. If the latter is your case, value what you have and become the leader that your employees need.
Being the boss is already outdated. Your employees shouldn’t just follow your orders, even if they disagree with them, they should want to follow them. A good leader does not give orders, but rather becomes a role model for his subordinates.
If you are capable of developing good leadership, teamwork in your company will be much more fluid. Your collaborators will be happier and more motivated, which will lead to an increase in productivity. With a good leader, everything is advantageous.
Listen To Your Customers
The key to selling more can be found in the market. If you pay due attention to your customers, they are the ones who, directly or indirectly, will tell you what they need, and this will allow you to offer them exactly what they are looking for.
Today you have it much easier to be attentive to what your customers want. If you create some social network profiles, it will not take long to receive both positive and negative comments. Pay close attention to both, since they are the key to what your audience needs.
Sometimes it is necessary to make big changes to be able to give them what they want, but it may happen that a small adjustment is more than enough to retain your customers and prevent them from leaving with the competition.
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