Probably like most people, I have a large number of interests and love learning new things. As an entrepreneur, however, that means I end up taking on too much and not focusing on what might actually take my ideas the farthest. We have to be able to recognize opportunities, have ideas, validate ideas, build or find people to build those ideas, and pretty much convince everyone from potential customer to partner to investor that they need to give a damn. Since there's so much to do, it seems to me like being a great communicator is the number one skill an entrepreneur should focus on. You can learn to code if you have time, but without being able to find the right audience and deliver the message they want, you're not going to make it very far. You can try doing everything yourself, but you really should be communicating your vision to others to get them on board, so much so that they believe in your product enough that they'll volunteer their time to help you do something amazing. Those are my observations, but I'm really curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
We're very lucky today to live in the "global village" we do.
I can't imagine how hard it would have been for a young entrepreneur to find the right people before the world was so connected. Then again, I suppose that explains how so many entrepreneurs are popping up all the time today.
Being an entrepreneur is not about going it alone, it's about identifying needs and being able to get the right team in place to get make your vision a reality. There is no better way to make yourself a successful entrepreneur than by finding the right people to help you when you need help.
To run a successful business today you need so many skills which draw on so many fields that it's pretty much impossible to do it yourself, and that's ok... As an entrepreneur you should see your primary role as 3 fold:
1) You're the dreamer responsible for coming up with the next big thing and the plan to make it big
2) You're the communicator who has to be able to effectively turn your vision into a clear, communicable plan which you can share internally to help your team get it built, and externally to get your product sold
3) The financier in charge of coming up with the cash to get people paid and to get your idea off the ground.
While you're bootstrapping you'll need to leverage any other skills you may have, to try to cut costs where you can, but it's always important to recognize that cutting costs while costing time is a net loss. Only cut costs when you can do as good a job as someone who you can get to help you, in the same amount of time.
Find yourself couple of key resources you can afford, you can trust, and who "get it" and understand your communication style and you'll be able to press forward at a pace you'd never imagined.
Answered 10 years ago
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