When you run a business, or even your own blog, there are many factors involved in the success of the venture. These includes things like:
- Targeting the right customers
- Having a point of difference
- Marketing effectively
- Keeping a close eye on cash flow
- Providing good customer service, and more
However, it’s also important to keep in mind that, as the leader of, and potentially the only worker in, your business, ultimately its success comes down to your personality.
You not only need to be on top of various topics and tasks, but also must have the right kind of mindset and personal strengths to achieve your goals. If you want to become the best business woman you can over the years, read on for some of the important traits you should be developing.
Open-Mindedness
For starters, take a look at all those amazing female entrepreneurs who reach amazing heights with their businesses, and you’ll see they always tend to be open-minded people. They have a growth mindset, so they are continually willing to learn new things, try new experiences, and listen to new ideas and opinions.
There are numerous ways you can hone this trait in yourself. For example, regularly read blogs, books, newsletters, white papers, reports, magazines, and website information; attend workshops, seminars, conferences, trade shows, or other events.
It also pays to take courses, whether short or long, at universities or other educational facilities. For example, you might like to enroll in a business certificate online for a good all-round foundation or complete a course in something specific, like marketing, to grow your knowledge in a particular field.
There are also lots of great mentoring programs, business clubs, and associations that are worth your attention.
Perseverance and Resilience
Next, keep in mind that being an entrepreneur isn’t all fun times developing fun new products, hanging out with interesting people, or making stacks of cash. When you work for yourself, you have to take the bad times with the good, and unfortunately there can be plenty of challenging periods no matter what industry you’re in.
As such, all business women need to be able to persevere and be incredibly resilient. You must be able to handle setbacks effectively and to “keep on keeping on,” even when you’re feeling down or anxious and wish you could give up.
Work on your mindset and on the ways you manage stress so that, when tough times hit, you have strategies in place to pick yourself up and move forward. At these times it’s also vital to think about what you can learn from the misstep or challenge.
Adaptability
As a business woman you will do your best to manage your venture effectively, but the truth is that it’s impossible to control everything.
You have no say on what customers, governments, local councils, journalists, suppliers, investors, and other people and organizations do or say. The same goes for the weather and other external factors. This means the entrepreneurial life can be quite unpredictable, so you must learn to be adaptable.
When you can handle new developments or changes in business with good humor and be flexible in terms of how you move forward, this will help you avoid either being frozen with indecision when things don’t go your way or making rash decisions in an emotional state.
By honing this ability you’ll also be better able to take advantage of potential opportunities that come along. After all, if you’re too rigid, you might see these chances as being outside your set plan, and thus not worth your time and energy.
Similarly, when you’re adaptable you’ll also be more likely to take notice of potential business weaknesses or threats early on, and take action steps to change course as needed. For example, you might realize a new product under development simply isn’t feasible any more and needs to be dropped.
In your everyday life, look for ways to practice being adaptable and flexible. Take new routes home; try different activities and foods; and get better at reacting calmly when unexpected issues arise.
No matter what industry you’re in, or the type of products or services you sell, the success of your business really ends up falling on your shoulders. Develop some or all of the above traits, and you’ll be more effective at leading your team and guiding your organization toward the kind of success you have always wanted.
Focus
When you’re flat out running a venture, you must be as productive as possible if you really want to enjoy business success. One way to be more efficient is to develop the ability to have laser-like focus. As you go about your day, there will be all sorts of distractions, and even potential opportunities, that crop up.
However, to get where you want to go, you must be able to tune out anything that isn’t relevant to your specific goals and vision. This includes opportunities, because they won’t all be worth spending time, money, and energy on.
When you can consistently stay on task, you’ll find you achieve a whole lot more; become better organized; and can build up a name as an expert in your field, because you’re focused solely on the one sector.
Being focused is also helpful when it comes to noticing risks earlier, understanding the potential impacts of the decisions you make, and finding ways to streamline processes and cut costs. Seeing you being so focused will also help your employees to follow suit.
Confidence
Lastly, another common trait you’ll find in many top business women is confidence. Being confident has numerous benefits. For example, belief in yourself and your venture can do wonders when challenging times occur. If you’re not confident, you may end up throwing in the towel too soon, and not persevering when another great opportunity or a different result is just around the corner.
Similarly, having confidence in your team will help them to feel valued and empowered, and they’re much more likely to put in extra effort, be extra engaged and extra productive as a result.
Confidence is also important when it comes to external parties. You need to show potential investors and partners, as well as lenders, suppliers, job candidates, customers, journalists, and others that you believe in what you’re doing. And have the power to achieve what you say you will.
After all, if you don’t have confidence in your venture and its products and services, why would anyone else?
Kellie Byrnes is a freelance writer, reviewer, blogger, and children’s author who writes for publications and corporate clients around the world. Her ghost-written work has been featured on sites like Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur, and her first picture book, Cloud Conductor, comes out May 2018.