There are lots of people out there thinking about starting a small business, and tons of great ideas, but few people actually go out and do it.  So many people think and think about it until all of a sudden they’re fifty-something, still with that great idea, but no business. But it’s never too late to start.

There’s no doubt it takes a special type of person to be an entrepreneur.  It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It takes desire to succeed, courage, perseverance and a great deal of will power to continue to work at it in the face of the setbacks you’ll inevitably have to deal with.  But what else does it take to be a successful small business owner? 

I would think being decisive, self-disciplined and a self-starter have to be a couple of the top traits.  

There won’t be anyone telling you what to do, how to do it and when it needs to be done (except for us if you hire us 😉 ).  So, you’ll need to be able to make decisions, and be disciplined enough to work at it every day, no matter how discouraged you might be.  

And, the fact that you’re your own boss means you should be self-directing too.  It also means you should be able to prioritize and plan well, meet deadlines and be able to work until the job is done, whether that takes fifteen minutes or eighteen hours a day.

How well do you deal with stress?  How do you deal with uncertainty? Successful entrepreneurs need to deal with both well.  Running a business can be stressful at the best of times, and can be extremely stressful when things aren’t going well.  And things are rarely certain. That big client you have that you think is so loyal could simply decide to go elsewhere for no reason that’s apparent to you.  

Nobody is going to be the perfect entrepreneur.  I doubt there’s anyone who has all the skills they need, but they can learn.

Are you ready to start your own business?