One of the best things you can do to improve your success as an entrepreneur is to focus on your strong points. Think about what you do best, and how those things benefit your business, and then focus on them.
Instead of trying to take care of everything, you need to think about how you can collaborate with others so that you are doing what you do best, rather than trying to muddle through something you aren’t particularly good at. I prefer writing, so I have someone else take care of other aspects of my business, such as the technical parts of my blog.
Additionally, focusing on your strengths can free up time to really build your business. While I could do my own taxes, it’s time consuming and tedious. Instead, I hire an accountant to help with my taxes. This frees me up to do a little more work, or take on another project. Rather than waste my time with stuff that isn’t terrible important, and doesn’t help build my business, I can focus on what I’m better at — and what brings in the money.
How Do You Know What Your Strengths Are?
Of course, in order to play to your strengths as an entrepreneur, you need to know what they are. This means that you usually have to do some honest soul-searching. It’s worth it take some time to think about what is best for your situation, and what strengths to bring to the table. If you are looking for ways to figure out your strengths, Entrepreneur.com offers a few helpful exercises:
- Look for things that excite you: What things get you pumped up? Normally, if you are excited about doing something, it usually means you are good at it. We don’t usually get that excited about things we aren’t good at. Thinking about what part of your day gets you most pumped can help you determine what your strong points are.
- Think outside your job title: Consider the job titles you have had in your past, and the roles you fulfilled. Then, you need to think about how you describe yourself now. Your self-talk and self descriptions can help you pinpoint which traits are your strengths, and help you cater to them.
- Pinpoint what you do differently: What’s different about the way you do things? If you can figure out what makes you different and unique, you will be better able to identify your strengths.
In the end, knowing what you are good at matters. You can translate that into better, more effective work for your business. You can also figure out your weaknesses. Then, instead of struggling through your weaknesses, and trying to force something to work for you, you can delegate to someone else. Put someone else in charge of your weak areas, and they can use their strengths to help your business grow, while at the same time you apply your strengths. The end result has the possibility of being awesome, and even better for your business than you might have imagined.
Miranda is freelance journalist. She specializes in topics related to money, especially personal finance, small business, and investing. You can read more of my writing at Planting Money Seeds.